Last updated on June 6th, 2018 at 04:52 pm
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.
Did you know that tagine is referred to both a piece of cookware and a slow-cooked stew? It’s true! I, for one, love my tagine. I’ll admit it’s an expensive cookware, but once you’ll buy one you’ll use it for all kinds of things. I not only cook delicious and succulent stews in my tagine, but I love to roast a whole chicken in it. The chicken comes out super moist when cooked in a tagine, you’ll love it.
MY LATEST VIDEOSFirst of all, a tagine is a pot which comes with a tall, canonical shape lid, you probably see them every time you walk through a kitchen store. Their appeal is that the tagine’s canonical 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.
But this recipe here is about lamb. I am not a huge fan of lamb but with Easter days away, I thought I should at least give you one lamb recipe that’s easy to make. So this is what I decided on, lamb and chickpea tagine which is basically a lamb stew with chickpeas, carrots and golden raisins with Moroccan inspired flavors. I have to say though, that I love the flavors in this dish, even though I don’t love lamb so much, but the great flavors here made me forget I’m eating lamb, which melts in your mouth by the way.
I personally love these types of Moroccan stews, they’re so flavorful, they’re sweet from the honey and golden raisins, and a bit spicy and aromatic from all the other spices used. I always love to use golden raisins in these dishes, as they cook in all that liquid, they plump up and when you bite into a raisin, it’s a burst of flavor, so good.
I would totally recommend serving this over some fluffy couscous because that’s how they are traditionally served. When you pair everything together, the couscous and this flavorful lamb stew, you have perfection. It’s simplicity at its best. Although this stew is Moroccan inspired, the ingredients are simple every day ingredients which you probably already have in your pantry right now.
Give it a try, one thing’s for sure. You will impress your family or friends with a dish like this.
Try out some of my other Moroccan inspired recipes like this Moroccan Chicken Couscous or Moroccan Style Roast Chicken and Potatoes!
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
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.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb lamb stew meat
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1/2 tsp Moroccan coriander ground
- 1 tsp cumin ground
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 1 large carrot sliced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 14 oz chickpeas (1 can) drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 2 tbsp pistachios chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
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.
Recipe Video
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.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
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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. 🙂