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  • Chicken and Eggplant Tagine

    7 votes
    Chicken and Eggplant Tagine
    Prep: 10 min Cook: 45 min Servings: 6
    by John Spottiswood
    300 recipes
    >
    I was shopping for a chicken and eggplant stew and both the eggplant and the bell peppers were on sale...so I bought extra. We ended up making two different recipes that called for chicken and eggplant two nights in a row, so we were able to really compare. While we all loved the other recipe (chicken and eggplant stew..on this site), there was unanimous agreement that this recipe was even better. It's adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe. I think the paprika and marjoram add a nice fullness to the flavor. This would have been really good without the chicken too, if you'd like to keep it vegetarian.

    Ingredients

    • 4 tablespoons olive oil
    • 3 cups sliced onions
    • 2 medium bell peppers, sliced (optional)
    • 6 large garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon turmeric
    • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
    • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground
    • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
    • 2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes (one drained, one with juice)
    • 1 cup water
    • Juice of one lemon (about 3 Tbsp)
    • 4 chicken thighs and 4 chicken legs (no skin, with or without bones) chopped into 1 inch pieces if boneless
    • 1 large eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or 1 tsp dried marjoram
    • 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
    • Chopped fresh cilantro

    Directions

    1. Sprinkle the cubed eggplant with kosher salt to let it steep (reduces the bitterness) until you add it to the pot.
    2. Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large wide pot over medium heat. Add the onions and bell pepper and saute for 2 minutes, then add the garlic. Cover and cook until onions are soft, about 8 minutes. Add the paprika, kosher salt, turmeric, coriander, fennel, pepper, cumin, ginger; and marjoram and stir 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, 1 cup water, and 3 tablespoons lemon juice; bring to boil.
    3. Add the chicken and eggplant and stir to cover. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer about 35 minutes if using bone in chicken pieces and about 25 minutes if using cubed, boneless chicken..
    4. Remove the cover and simmer uncovered 10 minutes to thicken the tagine. Season to taste with more lemon juice, if desired, and salt and pepper. Transfer to bowls and sprinkle with the toasted almonds and chopped cilantro.
    5. We served over a 50/50 blend of short grain brown rice and bulgur. To make, add 1 cup brown rice and 1 cup bulgur to a rice cooker and cover with 2 and 1/2 cups water. When done, season with 1/2 tsp kosher salt and generous pinches of turmeric and cumin if desired.

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    Reviews

    • Nancy Miyasaki
      Nancy Miyasaki
      This dish was fantastic. The cilantro and slivered almonds really added a nice flavor and visual appeal. Definitely a keeper.
      • Salad Foodie
        Salad Foodie
        I served this for company tonight and the comments were: "I didn't think I liked eggplant" "Perfect marriage of flavors" "Ahh-h-h-h-h-h-h wonderful". A nice change of pace from chicken and vegetable stews. I used half chicken breast tenders and half chicken thighs; a 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes together with all its juice, but then cut the cup of water in half to compensate. Will be cooking again for sure!
        • Daniel Saraga
          Daniel Saraga
          Hi John. This was fantastic. I think the fennel seeds made the difference in the flavor. I'd actually contemplating slicing a bit of fennel in it next time. I'll be publishing my variation of this in late June or early July. I used zucchini instead of eggplant amongst other changes.
          • John Spottiswood
            John Spottiswood
            Thanks for the helpful and thoughtful review, Daniel. I really appreciate it. Glad you liked it!

          Comments

          • Cecelia Heer
            Cecelia Heer
            Hi John:
            I love to make this version of a Moroccan dish and really like to serve it on a bed of couscous.
            • John Spottiswood
              John Spottiswood
              Agreed. I've been using bulgur more than couscous recently...just for the fiber. But I agree that it goes very well with couscous!

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