Apricot and Chicken Tagine

Name: Apricot and Chicken Tagine
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 2 pounds chicken thighs; 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic; 6 ounces or 1 cup dried apricots; ½ cup almonds; ½ cup (about 1/2 bunch) cilantro or parsley; 3 tablespoons butter; 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth; 1 cup barley; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 tablespoons honey; 1 lemon, juiced

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In this one pot apricot and chicken tagine recipe, tender chicken thighs are slowly simmered in a stew with flavorful spices and dried apricots. It's served with nutty barley and topped with crunchy almonds and fresh herbs.

a pot of chicken tagine with a bowl of dried apricots

A tagine is a popular Moroccan dish that consists of a stew or casserole in which meat or poultry is slowly simmered with vegetables and dried fruit. To make it a one-pot kind of meal, I include barley in this recipe. It's satisfying and filling, and it's not your ordinary boring chicken dish. Not only is it easy to prepare, but most of the cooking is unattended.

Interestingly, the term "tagine" also refers to a special cooking vessel designed for low-heat and slow cooking. In other words, you can cook a tagine in a tagine pot. However, you can cook a tagine in any good heavy-bottomed pot with a lid, such as a Dutch oven.

Feel free to experiment with different dried fruits or adjust the spices to change the flavors. Ultimately, its the balance of sweet and savory that make this apricot and chicken tagine recipe special.

😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe

It's a one-pot meal. Who doesn't love fewer dishes to wash?
It's the perfect balance of savory and sweet. Paprika, turmeric, and ginger are combined with dried apricots, cinnamon and honey to create a unique balance of flavors.
Chicken thighs and apricots keep the dish moist and tender. This isn't one of those dry or bland chicken dishes. I won't say it's foolproof, but it's close.

🐔 For more easy chicken recipes, check out my Chicken Swedish Meatballs, Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta, and Chicken and Squash Curry.

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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
🍗 Ingredients
Substitutions & Variations
🔪 Instructions
✨ Helpful Tips
🫕 Equipment
🥡 Leftovers
🤔 FAQ
🥕 Pairing
📖 Recipe
🍲 Related Recipes
💬 Comments

🍗 Ingredients

Everything you need to make this tasty chicken tagine recipe.

Key Ingredients

Chicken thighs: You want about two pounds of boneless and skinless chicken thighs for the most tender result. If you prefer to keep the skin on, that's fine. It's more of a personal preference.
Dried apricots: Although we're using dried fruit here, by the end of cooking the apricots plump up beautifully and make a soft and sweet counterpoint to the savory chicken and chewy barley. I've never tried the recipe with fresh fruit, but I think it might end up too mushy.
Pearled barley: While most barley in stores is the pearled variety-meaning it has had the hull and bran removed-just double-check. Pearled barley cooks quicker but still has a nice nutty chewiness to it after cooking. (Here's more on the dfiferences between hulled and pearled barley.) Since it cooks in the pot with the chicken, I don't have a good suggestion for an alternative that won't turn out mushy. However, if needed, you can cook a grain separately and reduce the broth you add to the pot in half.
Almonds: Chopped and added in the last minutes of cooking, almonds add a pleasant crunch to round out the meal.
Cilantro: The tagine is topped off with freshly chopped herbs, but cilantro is certainly not the only option in case that's not your thing. I've also used parsley and even some mint.
Broth: Your favorite chicken or vegetable broth will work great. I almost always use Better than Bouillon. Just keep in mind, especially if using unsalted homemade broth, you will need to add some additional salt to properly seasson the dish.

See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions & Variations

Try other dried fruits such as prunes or figs.
Chicken breasts instead of thighs are fine to substitute in this recipe, but they won't be as tender and moist as thighs.
Change up the spices: I include cinnamon, paprika, and turmeric in addition to the fresh ginger and garlic, but other recipes add coriander, cumin, cardamom, and even cayenne. Adjust to your liking and what you have on hand to aim for a balance of earthy and warm.

🔪 Instructions

How to make apricot and chicken tagine.

ingredients chopped on a cutting board with a knife

Step 1: Chop the onion, garlic, herbs, apricots, and almonds.

Step 2: Brown the chicken in butter, about 2-3 minutes per side. Sprinkle with paprika, salt, and pepper. When brown, remove from the pan and set aside.

onions sauteeing in a pot with spices to side

Step 3: Saute the onion in remaining butter until soft, about 5 minutes.

Step 4: Stir in the ginger, garlic, turmeric and cook for another minute.

barley being poured into pot of onions and spices

Step 5: Add the barley and toss to coat.

Step 6: Add the apricots.

Step 7: Pour in the broth, cinnamon stick, and honey.

browned chicken being added back to the pot

Step 8: Set the browned chicken back into the pot.

Step 9: Cover and cook at 375 for about 40 minutes. Remove the top, add the almonds, and cook for 10 more minutes uncovered.

lemon being squeezed over the cooked apricot and chicken tagine

Step 10: Top with the chopped herbs, squeeze over some fresh lemon juice, and serve.

See the recipe card below for the complete instructions.

✨ Helpful Tips

You can try this recipe with chicken breasts, but thighs will be the most tender.
Use a pot or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid to keep the moisture in the pot and help the food steam.
If using a homemade broth or stock without added salt, you'll want to add about ½ teaspoon kosher salt when you add the broth.

🫕 Equipment

Dutch oven: A Dutch oven or a heavy casserole dish with a lid is the best choice for cooking this stew unless you happen to have a tagine handy.

🥡 Leftovers

Store any leftover chicken tagine in a sealed container in the fridge for up to four days.

🤔 FAQ

Do I need a tagine to make chicken tagine?

Instead of the traditional Morrocan clay tagine, you can use a Dutch oven, braiser, casserole dish with a lid, or any other oven-safe, heavy-bottomed cooking vessel with a lid.

Can you use a crock pot instead of a tagine?

A crock pot may work instead of a tagine, though the recipe will need to be adapted and the cooking time will vary depending on your model. For this recipe, brown the chicken and sautee the onions as described on top of the stove, then add everything to the crock pot as you would normally. My best guess would be to cook for about 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high, though I haven't tried it myself and can't guarantee success.

What's the difference between a tagine and a stew?

A tagine is cooked in the oven in a vessel that traps heat and allows for steaming, while a stew is most often simmered on top of the stove. Tagines have flavors from North Africa and Morocco with sweet and savory ingredients, while stews usually use woody herbs and are strictly savory.