Chicken Prune Tagine - Spicy Comfort Food

An easy Moroccan chicken and prune tagine recipe – lightly spiced comfort food served with semolina, toasted almonds and coriander.

A Tagine is, broadly speaking, the French’s answer to the British curry. As the British go Indian, the French go Moroccan. So, during the winter, one of our favourite slow-cooked, one-pot casseroles is this Chicken Prune Tagine, as it’s lighter than it looks.

Tagines in Paris

When I first arrived in Paris in 1992, Indian curry houses were rare; on the other hand, Moroccan Couscous restaurants were – and still are – extremely popular. What I love about tagines (or tajines, named after the dish they’re traditionally cooked in) is that they’re healthy, too. No need for a heavy dessert afterwards, either. The best dessert following this? Sliced juicy table oranges, with a hint of orange blossom water and more grilled almonds, if you have any left – and what about a orange and prune macaron?

This has been my go-to splashed and tattered recipe for years, adapted from a magazine cut-out (with my added notes like ‘More garlic!’, ‘add saffron’ and ‘fresh coriander a must’). Even French/Spanish family that live in Morocco approved this recipe, which is the ultimate compliment. Ideally it’s cooked in a tagine dish but is just as good in a good, heavy crock pot.

This recipe started out as a lamb tagine but gradually, as the family have been eating meat less and enjoying more poultry, we’ve replaced it with something a bit more ‘meaty’ than chicken – even although chicken is super for this recipe. Traditionally, chicken tagine is usually made with olives and citron confit or preserved lemon (I love that too – recipe to come!). As it can be a bit acidic, the kids prefer this moreish chicken prune tagine version.

Meaty Poultry: Oyster (fowl) – Perfect for Chicken Prune Tagine

So what’s the special poultry meat that can fool us into thinking that it looks like lamb yet tastes slightly lighter? We find it at many local boucheries or at the local market: known as Sot l’y laisse or huîtres de poulet. They are Oyster Fowl – two oyster-sized rounds of darker poultry meat, found near the thighs.

Cooking on a Budget: Cheaper Cuts of Chicken

They’re rather large – so large that, by rule of thumb, we usually have 3 per person and they can be each cut into 3.  They resemble pig’s cheeks (joues de porc), another interesting ingredient for spicy dishes. Please remind me later if you’re interested, as I have another recipe I often make yet haven’t posted. It’s dynamite.

What do they have in common? They’re so much cheaper and just as tender as lamb in a slow-cooked casserole.

Serving Suggestions for Chicken Prune Tagine

Serve this Chicken Prune Tagine with medium sized semolina (couscous). According to packet instructions for semolina, use about 100g (3.5oz) per person with the same amount of water. Instead, for 4 portions, I’ll use 400g (14oz) of semolina, tossed in a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper and 400ml of liquid: water topped with a tablespoon of Moroccan orange blossom water and mixed with a handful of golden sultanas, then heat.

Did you spot the macaron? It’s one of my savoury macarons from Mad About Macarons which uses mainly cumin and is ideal for serving before or during a fun spicy evening. It’s a taste sensation that tickles the senses: pop in a mini mac and hit the cayenne spice then the second that follows, the (reduced) sugar in the macaron shells put out the fire. Taste it and see!

Thanks so much for sharing, pinning or commenting below – it means the world to hear that you’ve either made/enjoyed this Chicken Prune Tagine or even popped in just to say bonjour.

I forgot to tell you one of our other favourite winter warming slow-cooked casseroles: it’s this classic French Blanquette de Veau.

Chicken Prune Tagine Recipe