Today we bring you a chicken tajine with pears and apples that will drive you crazy. A very easy slow-cooked recipe that will give you a dish with lots and lots of flavor.
The tajine is traditional in Middle Eastern and North African cuisine, and is especially popular in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. A tajine 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, it is traditionally made of ceramic and always has two parts: the base, which is a low Shallow Casserole, and the lid, which is cone-shaped and causes the broth or water in the recipe to condense little by little, and the meat to become completely tender and juicy. The temperature when cooking in it should be medium-low.
The tajine I used is porcelain from Revol and besides being of extremely high quality (which makes it distribute heat evenly everywhere), it is beautiful and will look perfect on your table. It works on all heat sources and since it can also be used at high temperatures, we can use the base to brown the meat or chicken before cooking the tajine.
The most popular tajine recipes are lamb, but with chicken it is so tasty that I can’t resist making it again and again. Feel free to substitute the chicken with your favorite meat - in that case you will only need to adjust the cooking time so the meat becomes tender.
Ingredients
- 170ml honey
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 pears
- 2 apples
- 2 carrots
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons ras el hanout*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 free-range chicken, boned and skinless
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 20gr butter
- 2 tablespoons flaked almonds
*Ras el hanout is a spice blend used in Moroccan cooking and you can make it yourself by mixing ground black pepper, ground cumin, ground cardamom, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, hot paprika and ground ginger.
Preparation
- In a bowl put the chicken with half the ras el hanout and let marinate for half an hour.
- With the help of a Miyabi knife cut the chicken into pieces.
- With the help of the Pallarès knife, finely chop the onions and cut the carrots into pieces. Cut the pears and apples into quarters and these in half. Set aside.
- Put 300ml cold water, the honey, the lemon juice, the pears and apples, the cinnamon and the pepper in a Revol tajine over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium. Cook slowly, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until the pears are tender. Let cool. Drain, reserving the liquid. Separate the pears.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the tajine over high heat and brown the pieces of chicken. Remove to a plate, and in the same oil, add the chopped onion and crushed garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft.
- Add the garlic, ginger and the rest of the ras el hanout. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add to the tajine the chicken with the pear and apple broth, and the chopped carrots, cover with the lid and bake for one hour.
- Meanwhile, heat the butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the pears. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove the tajine from the oven and add the pears and apples along with the flaked almonds.
- Bake uncovered for 20 more minutes.
- Serve with couscous sautéed with raisins and finish with a little chopped fresh cilantro on top.
Revol porcelain Tajine, Pallarès carbon steel knife and Miyabi damascus steel Japanese knife
Comments
maria teresa marban said:
Lo hice ayer, tenía ras al hanout comprado en Marrakech y deseaba darle uso. Lo h¡ice en la crockpot, 4 horas a fuego alto ( la mía es la russel hobbs con 2 posiciones bajo y alto). REsultado delicioso! Además el olor de las especies inundando la cocina era lo más. Diferecias: sellé el pollo y directo a la olla con las frutas y la zanahoria, la mitad del agua y menos de la mitad de la miel para que fuera menos dulce. Mi hijo ha pedido quitarle el jenjibre para la próxima :)
Gracias x la receta