Chicken Tagine

Recipe modified.  Original recipe by Family Circle.

I've been to Morocco twice now and my all time favourite dish from there is chicken tagine.  There are all sorts of varieties with different meats and vegetables, but the best tagine I ever had was chicken tagine with prunes.  Coming home and making it yourself is never as good as the real thing, but this recipe is pretty close.

What you'll need
1 tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp Ground coriander
1 tsp Ground ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp Chili flakes
1 kg Chicken thigh fillets, cut into halves
2 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
1 Onion
4 Garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups Chicken stock
2 large Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
1/2 cup Pitted prunes, halved
1/3 cup Sliced almonds, toasted
Small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
Couscous (Use quinoa for a healthier or gluten free option)

How to
1.  Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined.  Add the chicken, making sure the chicken is well covered with the spice mixture.

2.  Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add the chicken and cook on both sides till lightly golden.  Remove from pan and set aside.

3.  In the same pan, cook the onion over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until golden.  Add the garlic, stock and tomato.  Stir.  Add the chicken, bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.  Add the prunes and cook for another 25 minutes, or until the mixture thickens slightly.

4.  Plate and garnish with the almonds and cilantro.  Traditionally tagine is served over couscous, but I served it here over quinoa.  Couscous is definitely better in my opinion, but if you're looking for a healthier or gluten free option, quinoa is the way to go.