Padma Lakshmi's Tagine-Inspired Chicken
The chef and TV host shares a recipe from her cookbook, "Padma's All American"
This may surprise you, but the best part of filming The Ten Commandments in 2005 was not the blunt bangs I rocked as Princess Bithia. Nope. It was shooting in Morocco. I loved wandering the souks in Marrakech, lined with pyramids of spices evocative of my grandmother’s kitchen. I loved the food: the fish marinated in herbaceous chermoula, the tender lamb braised with prunes, the insanely fluffy couscous, gently mounded and topped with saffron-scented vegetables. My favorite, though, was the chicken tagine I ordered at my hotel every night, comforting and restorative after a long day of filming. I loved the briny green olives and the tart funk of the preserved lemons. Chicken with olives and preserved lemon is one of the classic tagine dishes of Morocco. Here, I leave tradition behind and add apricot, which some might find blasphemous. The sweetness of the apricots rounds out the lemon and olives, offering a complex and well- balanced dance of sweet and savory notes.
Because many of us do not own an authentic tagine—a kind of earthenware pot with a conical lid—this recipe is designed for a Dutch oven. If you’re making this in a true North African tagine, you may need to reduce the amount of broth to fit, which is totally fine. It’ll be beautifully steamed and tender. Just remember to brown the chicken in a separate pan first.
—Padma Lakshmi
Don’t miss Padma’s new book!
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or 1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces (3 to 4 pounds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup neutral oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1½ teaspoons fennel seeds
2 large red onions, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
3 dried red chiles
3 bay leaves, preferably fresh
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 large fennel bulb, halved, cored, and sliced ¼ inch thick (about 2 cups)
2 large carrots, peeled and cut on the bias into ¼-inch-thick slices (about 1 cup)
2 to 3 medium preserved lemons, seeded and chopped (about 1¼ cups), depending on size
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
1 cup picholine or Moroccan green olives
3 cups homemade chicken broth or store-bought chicken broth or stock
1 tablespoon harissa paste, or 1½ teaspoons red chile flakes
¼ cup diced dried apricots
½ teaspoon saffron threads
Don’t miss Padma on Radio Cherry Bombe!
Method
Season the chicken on both sides with healthy pinches of kosher salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over high heat until smoking. Working in batches, add the chicken and sear on all sides until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Place on a plate and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the cumin seeds and fennel seeds, and stir until darkened slightly, about 30 seconds. Add the onions, cinnamon sticks, dried chiles, and bay leaves and sauté for just 1 minute. Add the thyme and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and sauté until the onions are glassy, 6 to 8 minutes. If necessary to prevent burning, add a splash of water and scrape the bottom of the pot.
Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for just 30 seconds. Add the fresh fennel and carrots and sauté, stirring frequently, until the fennel loses its rawness, 4 to 5 minutes.
Stir in the preserved lemons, bell pepper, and olives. Add the chicken broth and harissa, stir to dissolve the harissa, cover, and bring to a gentle simmer. Nestle the chicken into the pot, skin-side up, and pour in any chicken juices that have collected on the plate. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes, checking occasionally for sticking.
Use tongs to remove the chicken and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Stir the liquid, scraping any bits off the bottom. Add the apricots and saffron to the pot and stir. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks, if desired. Nestle the chicken back into the pot. Serve warm.
From Padma’s All American by Padma Lakshmi. Reprinted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
Please note, some of our links may earn us a small commission.