Lamb and Chickpea Tagine
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Moroccan inspired Lamb and Chickpea Tagine is a delight. It’s the perfect one pot dinner for a comforting and delicious meal with melt-in-your-mouth lamb, chickpeas and golden raisins.
This is a beautiful, Moroccan inspired dish brimming with rich and complex flavor. It’s easy to assume that when we cook dishes we might not be familiar with, that they will be harder, take longer, and result in more of a mess than say a casserole. But that doesn’t have to be the case, not when you have the help of a tagine style one pot meal!
Lamb and chickpea tagine is basically a lamb stew with chickpeas, carrots and golden raisins with Moroccan inspired flavors. This lamb will totally melt down in your mouth and is a bit sweet from the honey and golden raisins. I always love to use golden raisins in these dishes, because as they cook in all that liquid, they plump up nicely.
What Is A Tagine?
First of all, a tagine is a pot which comes with a tall, conical shape lid, you probably see them every time you walk through a kitchen store. Their appeal is that the tagine’s conical lid creates a moist, hot cooking environment for the dish you’re making.
As the food cooks, steam rises into the cone, and sends it back down to the dish, which in turn eliminates the need for a lot of liquid. The dish is slowly cooked and you end up with really tender meat.
Ingredients
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Lamb – This is a rich gamey meat that requires low and slow cooking to get that melt in your mouth texture.
- Spices – Ground Moroccan coriander, cumin, red pepper flakes.
- Veggies – Sliced carrot and white onion.
- Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
- Honey – The key to balancing out our rich savory flavors! You can substitute for maple syrup if that’s all you have on hand.
- Tomato paste – This will pack lots of concentrated tomato flavor helping us achieve a richer dish.
- Broth – Chicken broth low sodium to control the salt content of our dish.
- Chickpeas – This will add some great texture, chew, fiber, and protein to our lamb tagine.
- Raisins – I used golden raisins today because they are sweet, mild, and soft. These little treats soak up the extra juices as the dish cooks and they become little flavor bombs.
- Pistachios – Chopped up, trust me on this one, it’ll infuse crunch and nuttiness to our lamb.
- Cilantro – Fresh and chopped. If using dried just keep in mind that that 1 teaspoon dried equals 1 tablespoon fresh.
How To Make Lamb And Chickpea Tagine
- Preheat your oven: To 400 F degrees.
- Brown the lamb: Add the oil to a tagine and heat over medium-high heat. Add the lamb meat and saute for about 4 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Transfer the lamb to a plate and set aside.
- Combine the spices and aromatics: Add the onion, coriander, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper to the tagine and stir everything together. Let the onion saute for about 4 minutes until it softens, stirring occasionally.
- Form the stew: Stir in the carrots and garlic. Add the lamb meat back to the tagine. Stir in the tomato paste and honey. Add the chicken broth, chickpeas, golden raisins and stir to combine.
- Finish the dish: Bring to a boil then cover the tagine with lid and place in the oven. Cook for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the lamb is tender. Garnish with pistachios and fresh cilantro. Serve over cooked couscous , cooked bulgar, or mashed potatoes.
How To Cook Couscous And Bulgar
If you’re wondering how to make those traditional accompaniments, I’m here to the rescue! Below is instructions on making fluffy and tender couscous or bulgar.
Couscous
- Bring 1 3/4 cups of low sodium broth to a boil. Add a bit of salt, a small drizzle of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of couscous to the pot, remove from the heat and cover the pot before allowing the couscous to steam for 5 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and serve!
Bulgar
- In a saucepan combine 1 cup of bulgar with 1 1/2 cups of water. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bring it all to a simmer then cover and cook over low heat for 10 – 12 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let stand covered for a further 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving immediately.
No Tagine? No Problem!
Although I used a 1.5 qt tagine in this recipe a large skillet would work just as well. You will need a lid to cover the skillet while in the oven. A Dutch oven would work as well. Cook for the same amount of time as instructed.
Stove top
Another alternative to cooking this lamb and chickpea tagine is to finish cooking it on the stove top.You would still need to cover the tagine or pot with the lid and cook for about 50 minutes to an hour over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Tagine Tips
Cure your tagine
- You’ll want to cure your tagine when you first get it first by soaking in it water for 24 hours. Then dry it off and rub olive oil inside the lid and dish.
- Place the tagine in your oven and then set the temperature to 225 F degrees and allow it to sit for 2 hours before turning off the heat.
- This will seal off the clay of your tagine and ready it for cooking.
Cleaning your tagine
- Do not soak your tagine in soapy water!
- Simply wash it by hand immediately.
- Do not place your tagine in the dishwasher.
Cooking with your tagine
- You can’t cook with your tagine directly on open flame if you have a gas stove. Buy a tagine heat diffuser to prevent the dish from being ruined.
Leftovers
Fridge
Allow the lamb and chickpea tagine to come to room temperature but don’t leave it out, unrefrigerated for more than two hours. Store it in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer
You can freeze this stew for up to 6 months. Simply transfer it to airtight containers or resealable freezer bags and pop them in the freezer. Allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to eat.
More Delicious Recipes To Try:
- Irish Lamb Stew
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Crockpot Beef Stew
- Mexican Pork Stew
- Moroccan Meatballs
- Chicken Couscous
- Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma
- Lamb Korma
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Lamb and Chickpea Tagine
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lamb stew meat
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon Moroccan coriander (ground)
- 1 teaspoon cumin (ground)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)
- 1 large carrot (sliced)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
- 14 ounce chickpeas (drained and rinsed (1 can))
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 2 tablespoon pistachios (chopped)
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped, fresh)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 F degrees.
- Add the oil to a tagine and heat over medium-high heat. Add the lamb meat and saute for about 4 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Transfer the lamb to a plate and set aside.
- Add the onion, coriander, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper to the tagine and stir everything together. Let the onion saute for about 4 minutes until it softens, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the carrots and garlic. Add the lamb meat back to the tagine. Stir in the tomato paste and honey.
- Add the chicken broth, chickpeas, golden raisins and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then cover the tagine with lid and place in the oven. Cook for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the lamb is tender.
- Garnish with pistachios and fresh cilantro. Serve over cooked couscous or mashed potatoes.
Equipment
Video
Notes
- Although I used a 1.5 qt tagine in this recipe a large skillet would work just as well. You will need a lid to cover the skillet while in the oven. A Dutch oven would work as well. A tagine is recommended though, because the stew develops a rich and concentrated flavor because the lid traps all the steam and sends it back down to the stew.
- Another alternative to cooking this is to finish cooking it on the stove top vs cooking it in the oven. You would still need to cover the tagine/pot with the lid and cook for about 50 minutes to an hour over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Allow the tagine to come to room temperature but don’t leave it out, unrefrigerated for more than two hours. Store it in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- You can freeze this stew for up to 6 months. Simply transfer it to airtight containers or resealable freezer bags and pop them in the freezer. Allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to eat.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
WoW!!
Your dishes are so delicious.
Thank you! So glad you like them
Conical not canonical!!!!
Ha! Thanks!
Hi, looking forward to making this meal but haven’t been able to find lamb stew meat. Can I substitute beef stew meat? Are there other lamb cuts that could be used?
You can use beef for sure! Call your local butcher- they can probably help you. If you find some lamb shoulder at the grocery store that will work too, you’ll just have to cube it up.
Joanna !!!! I never came across a recipe like this before. I tried this recipe for the first time in 35 years and my family loved it.
Yay! Love hearing that!
Hello Joanna. This sounds really delicious. Can I make it in my crockpot? The usual 6-8 hours on low? Should I lessen the amount of liquid? Thanks.
Yes, I believe so. I wouldn’t lower the liquid, because in the tagine the liquid doesn’t really evaporate, so I think it would be the same, though I couldn’t tell you with 100% certainty without trying. However, if you do try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out in the crockpot.
I just made your lamb recipe and oh my gosh!!!!! It was delicious! My daughter who doesn’t like lamb or chickpeas couldn’t believe that she loved it. Hubby and son loved it to. I kept hearing them say wow this is really good. I had to use a skillet, however boy did I burn myself after putting it on the stove for us to serve ourselves. The handle was so hot–I forgot about that fact because when I am cooking on the stove with this skillet the handle stays cool to the touch. So question. Does the tangine stay hot after you bring it up. Trying to decide if I should spend a lot of money for one recipe.
By the way, I used the pearl couscous, cooked it, and then mixed it with the food in the skillet. It was so much more tasty as it absorbed all of the wonder sauce flavor.
The tagine will stay hot for a few minutes, can’t remember exactly how long. If you buy one, you don’t only have to make this one recipe, there’s so many things you can make in it, including cooking a whole chicken, check out my roasted chicken in tagine, plus much much more.
I hadn’t thought about that. I think I will give a little hint that I would love a tagine for Mother’s day!
There you go!
Wonderful recipe.I like this and I think this is very delicious.
I am going to make this recipe for my family and husband
Thanks for sharing
I love your way of Cooking.
Great Recipe I am going to make this recipe for my family and husband.
Joanna, this looks delish! Could you tell me what kind of tangine you use? I’ve always wanted to get one but wasn’t sure what would be a good choice. I like the one you are using. Thanks!
Hi Deb! I actually linked it in the recipe notes, I’m using the Staub one.
Got it–thanks!
I’ll have to do this less authentically in my Dutch oven, but I’ve been looking for a manageable Moroccan tagine recipe. Yours looks delish =)
Thanks, Sara!
This sounds like it would be perrrrrfect with a side of toasted bread so you can eat it crostini style. Yum!
That does sound good Benny. Might have to try that myself. Thanks for commenting and let us know when you try this recipe out.
I LOVE cooking in my tagine. Creates an amazing flavor and the food always magically disappears! This one looks extra yummy. Cannot wait to try it out.
Thanks! Let me know how you like it. 🙂