Chicken and Chickpea Tagine

Serves 4

Time to make 1 hour 30 minutes

Allergens Celery Nuts

Chickpeas are full of fibre and protein, affordable and tasty. They are perfect for bulking out soups, stews and curries and are delicious in this tagine.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon of harissa paste
600 grams skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon each: cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger
400 gram tin of chickpeas, drained
400 gram tin of chopped tomatoes
500 millilitres of chicken stock
1 handful of raisins or dried apricots, roughly chopped
2 handfuls spinach
1 handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon of toasted almond flakes (optional)

Notes

Serve with bulgar wheat, wholemeal couscous or brown rice for an added fibre boost.

Try mixing through fresh herbs like mint and coriander for more flavour.

Method

Mix the chicken thighs with the harissa in a large bowl and chill, covered, for 20-30 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole or tagine dish and fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes until browned. Remove from the dish and set aside.
Fry the onion for 8-10 mins until soft, then add the garlic and bell pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.
Stir in the spices, cook for 30 seconds and then add the stock, tomatoes and raisins or dried apricots. Add the chicken back into the dish, season, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 45 mins.
Add the chickpeas to the dish, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 mins until the sauce reduces slightly and thickens.
Once the sauce has reduced to your liking and the chicken is falling apart, add in the spinach and cook for 5 minutes until wilted.
Turn off the heat and stir through most of the coriander.
Season to taste and serve with bulgar wheat, couscous or brown rice. Scatter the remaining coriander and toasted almond flakes on top.