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!
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.
Craving More Tender Chicken? Try These Recipes
- Lemon Chicken Rice Bake
- Roast Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Garlic Sauce
- Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken Legs
- Roast Chicken
- Crispy Fried Chicken
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Moroccan Roast Chicken and Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
For Spice Rub
- 1 teaspoon dried coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon sumac *
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
For Roast Chicken and Potatoes
- 1 whole chicken about 4 or 5 lb
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound baby potatoes cleaned
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes washed
- 8 cloves garlic peeled
- 10 dried apricots roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
- In a small bowl combine all the spice rub ingredients together.
- Clean the chicken, pat it dry 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Recipe Notes
- *Sumac is a reddish-purple powder used as a spice in Middle Eastern cuisine to add a lemony taste to salads or meat.
- If you don’t have any dried apricots, you can use raisins or dried cranberries.
- As the chicken and potatoes cook in the tagine, some liquid will be released making for a nice gravy you could pour over the chicken and potatoes when serving.
- You don’t necessarily need a tagine to make this roast chicken, a pot with a lid such as a Dutch oven would work just as well. However, there is a noticeable difference in the results when cooking with a tagine. The chicken actually browns a bit and the skin is a little bit crispy, plus you end up with a really juicy and succulent chicken. If using chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken, you could brown the chicken first right in the tagine over your stove top if you want to get an even crispier chicken.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Hi there! I love this recipe – curious to know if you thought we could make two smaller chickens vs just one in the same tagine or would that affect cook time? Thanks!
Hi Dom,
If you have a big enough tagine for two small chickens you can try it out. Just make sure they don’t overlap and are not crowded. And check the temperature for both of them when cooking to get the desired cooked chicken. That’s why I would recommend just one chicken, but let us know how they turn out.