Name: Moroccan Roast Chicken and Potatoes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 105 min
Total time: 110 min
Ingredients: 1 tsp dried coriander; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper; 1 tsp sumac (*); 1 tsp black pepper; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp salt; 1 whole chicken (about 4 or 5 lb); 4 tbsp olive oil; 1 lb baby potatoes (cleaned); 2 cups cherry tomatoes (washed); 8 cloves garlic (peeled); 10 dried apricots (roughly chopped); 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste); 1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste); 1 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)

This Moroccan Roast Chicken and Potatoes is slowly cooked in a tagine and filled with intense Moroccan flavor. 5 minutes of prep time is all you need for this delicious dinner with a twist!

Moroccan Roast Chicken and Potatoes in a tagine after roasting

If you’ve never cooked in a tagine, you’re in for a treat! Cooking in a tagine couldn’t get any easier, the easiest one pot cooking there is – full stop. If you don’t have one, I really recommend picking one up ASAP!

I use mine often and they are great for one pot dinners. I’ve made beef in it, pork tenderloin and chicken. Love them all. This is really quite versatile too, and all you need are 5 minutes of prep time, that’s all.

Wait – What’s 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.

Now this recipe isn’t authentic Moroccan by any means, I basically just pulled out all the spices out of my spice cabinet that screamed Moroccan to me, so please don’t hold me to this recipe being authentic. I did add some dried apricots for a bit of sweetness, though the spice rub isn’t too spicy, there’s only a bit of cayenne pepper in the spice rub, but if you’re feeling adventurous then by all means, add more.

Ingredients

Spice rub

Smoked paprika, coriander, cayenne pepper, sumac, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, salt.

Roast Chicken And Potatoes

Whole chicken – I used a 4 pound chicken, but whatever size you have will work. If your chicken is bigger, you can up the amounts called for the seasoning.
Olive oil – We want a richer oil with great flavor, it doesn’t matter that the smoke point is lower since our tagine will control that and prevent the oil from burning.
Fresh parsley – I like to add some nice chopped herbs at the end not only as garnish, but it adds such a wonderful fresh flavor to finish off the chicken. Any of your favorite herbs will work.
Potatoes – Baby potatoes are what we’re using today as they are small enough to cook in time with our chicken. Be sure to clean them before including.
Apricots – Believe me dried apricots chopped up roughly will taste heavenly in this dish. They plump up in the tagine and create a nice sweet bite to counter all the savory flavors.
Tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes will cook down and become tender little flavor bombs, is anyone else’s mouth watering?
Salt and pepper – It’s important to have enough salt to ensure your chicken doesn’t taste bland. You can use as much or as little as you like.

How To Make Moroccan Roast Chicken and Potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
Create the rub: In a small bowl combine all the spice rub ingredients together.
Prep the chicken: Clean the chicken and make sure to remove the bag with chicken giblets, if your chicken has it. Rub all the spice rub all over the chicken. Add 2 tbsp of the olive oil to the tagine then place the chicken in the tagine.
Prep the potatoes: In a bowl toss together the potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, and apricots. Drizzle the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil over the potatoes and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss everything together and add to the tagine, spread the potatoes around the chicken.
Cook the chicken: Cover the tagine with the lid and bake in the oven for about 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours. To check if your chicken is done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, and if the temperature reaches 165 F (74 C) the chicken is cooked through. After 2 hours the chicken should be cooked really well, the meat should fall off the bones.
Finish the dish: Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

No Tagine? Don’t Sweat It!

Although I used a 1.5 qt tagine in this recipe a large skillet would work just as well. You will need a lid or aluminum foil to cover the skillet while in the oven. A Dutch oven would work as well. Cook for the same amount of time as instructed.

How Do I Know When My Chicken Is Done?

I know you’ve seen me say this so many times before, but I can’t stress it enough; get yourself an instant read thermometer! It will change your life. You can use it for not just meats but baked goods as well.

I like to take the temperature both at the thickest part of the breast, and at the thickest part where the drumstick and thigh meet the breast. Once you’ve reached 165 F, the chicken is all done.

Tagine Best Care Tips

Curing

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

Do not soak your tagine in soapy water!
Simply wash it by hand immediately.
Do not place your tagine in the dishwasher.

Cooking

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.

How To Store Leftovers

Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container in the fridge and store up to 4 days.

To freeze your leftovers, I would shred the remaining chicken and store in an airtight container. You can also store the chicken in individual sized containers for easier thawing. It will last up to 4 months. Thaw either in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of chicken broth.