Chicken and pear tagine with apples

Today we bring you a chicken tagine with pears and apples that will drive you crazy. A very easy recipe cooked over low heat, with which you will get a dish with lots of flavor.

The tagine is a traditional Middle Eastern and North African dish, and is especially popular in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. A tagine can be prepared in many ways, but the common elements are always olive oil and the pot in which it is cooked.

The tajine , as a utensil, is traditionally made of ceramic and always has two parts: the base, which is a low pot, and the lid, which is cone-shaped and allows the broth or water in the recipe to condense little by little, and the meat to remain completely tender and juicy. The temperature when cooking in it should be medium-low.

The tagine I used is made of porcelain from Revol and, in addition to being of the highest quality (which means it distributes heat evenly throughout), it is beautiful and will look perfect on your table. It works with all heat sources and, as it can also be used at high temperatures, we can use the base to brown meat or chicken before cooking the tagine.

The most popular tagine recipes are those with lamb, but with chicken it is so delicious that I can't resist making it again and again. Feel free to substitute the chicken for your favourite meat - in this case you will only need to adjust the cooking time so that the meat is tender.

Revol porcelain tagine

Ingredients​

• 170ml of honey
• The juice of 1 lemon
• 2 pears
• 2 apples
• 2 carrots
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons of ras el hanout*
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 boneless, skinless free range chicken
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• 1 piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 20gr of butter
• 2 tablespoons of sliced ​​almonds

*Ras el hanout is a spice blend used in Moroccan cuisine that you can make yourself by mixing ground black pepper, ground cumin, ground cardamom, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, hot paprika and ground ginger.

Preparation

1. Place the chicken in a bowl with half of the ras el hanout and leave to marinate for half an hour.
2. Using a Miyabi knife, cut the chicken into pieces.
3. Using a Pallarès knife , finely chop the onions and dice the carrots. Cut the pears and apples into quarters and the apples into halves. Set aside.
4. Place 300ml cold water, honey, lemon juice, pears and apples, cinnamon and pepper in a Revol tagine over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until pears are tender. Allow to cool. Drain, reserving liquid. Discard pears.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the tagine over a high heat and brown the chicken pieces. Remove to a plate, and in the same oil, add the chopped onion and crushed garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft.
6. Add the garlic, ginger and the remaining ras el hanout. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken with the pear and apple broth and the chopped carrots to the tagine, cover with the lid and leave to bake for 1 hour.
7. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a nonstick frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the pears. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove the tagine from the oven and add the pears and apples along with the sliced ​​almonds.
8. Bake uncovered for a further 20 minutes.
9. Serve with cooked couscous sautéed with raisins and finish with a little chopped fresh coriander on top.

Revol porcelain tagine , Pallarès carbon steel knife and Miyabi Japanese Damascus steel knife