Moroccan Roast Chicken and Potatoes
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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
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, 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.
Moroccan Chicken
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 In Moroccan Roast Chicken and Potatoes
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 –Â 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 –Â 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.
What Can I Serve With My Moroccan Roast Chicken?
I mean, this is a meal all on its own, but if you’d like something to cut through all that protein and starch, here’s some lighter options to brighten up that plate a bit.
Veggies
- Garlic Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Old Fashioned Green Beans
- Garlic and Herb Roasted Carrots
- Cauliflower Poppers
Salads
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 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
For Roast Chicken and Potatoes
- 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
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.
duke m barron says
I had to make a few changes and used a crockpot and for a 4-pound chicken, it took only 3 h0urs as per instructions I was given on here A+ for sure. I could not find the Sumac so my wife brought some Harissa home and I used it instead and didn’t use the cayenne pepper or the cummin and just used it and double the amount.
Even though I used the grill setting on our convection oven I could not crisp up the skin so next time I will use our oven broiler and that should do the trick I would think?
All and all we had a great meal 🙂
duke barron says
I showed this to my wife and she said it looked really good A+A+A+ We do not have that type of pot and we also do not have a cast iron dutch oven as I saw suggest but do have crockpots in different sizes so that is what I will use but I think it will take longer than 2 hours even on high? So I will just have to check the temp on the chicken and potatoes. If anyone has made it in a crockpot and any sort of time it would really help. I will be using a 3 lb chicken.
Thanks
Jo Cooks Team says
Cook this on high for 3-4 hours in your slow cooker 🙂
duke barron says
Thanks for that info and that should work very well. I will check every thing at 3 hrs and go one more if needed.
Susan says
Hi Jo. Writing from Coffs Harbour, east coast of Australia. Just wondering what sized tagine you used for your Moroccan Chicken and Potatoes? I have a 27cm tagine. Would that be large enough? Look forward to your reply. BTW, I don’t use Facebook, Pinterest etc.
Thanks. Susan
Jo Cooks Team says
27 cm should work well for a smaller chicken!
Saffiya says
Hello from Dubai! We just tried this dish and it was easy and delicious. Substituted the apricots with whole green olives – as that’s how we had it at a Moroccan restaurant once – and it was lovely. Will definitely be making this again . Thank you!
Joanna Cismaru says
Hi Saffiya! Oh wow all the way from Dubai! I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Will have to try green olives next time I make this. 🙂
Jodi says
This dish was fabulous. The chicken was so tender and flavorful. I didn’t use tomatoes and I substituted dried mangos for apricots. This was my first time using my tagine. I will most definitely be making this again. Superb!!!!
Pete says
The most succulent chicken ever! Loving my Tagine cooking 🙂
Jo, you are fantastic and also very pretty!!
Joanna Cismaru says
Thanks Pete!
Diane Delaney says
I made this last night for supper and it was delicious, I don’t own a Tagineso I used my Pyrosil deep casserole but apart from that I followed the recipe exactly. There are only two of us now so I put the leftovers in the freezer and blitzed the remaining sauce, so another lovely supper ready to go.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Joanna Cismaru says
Glad you liked it! Yeah you don’t really need the tagine, so I’m glad you found another way.
Kristine Lockwood says
Down under in OZ we can buy at local supermarket a split / flattened chicken. Just read your recipe a few minutes after I had purchased said chicken. HMMMM Good idea as I rarely use my loved tagine. Wish I had taken a pic as was divine. The chicken had already been marinated so just had to place into base, Added some cut potatoes, carrots and a small onion cut u. Minimum bran oil onto vegies and cooked for 1 hour and 30 minutes as no cavity to worry about the bird was so tender and fell apart as I removed to serve. YUM YUM YUM. Many thanks for the inspiration Cheers Kristine in Melbourne
Joanna Cismaru says
Hi Kristine!! So glad you liked this chicken! Check out the recipe I just posted today for another idea for your tagine. 🙂
Chava of Almost Kosher says
This looks really good. I might try this with some cornish game hens as my tagine is a bit smaller than yours. Sumac has been such a lovely addition to our spice cabinet. The color is so pretty.
Tracy says
I made this in the dutch oven tonight, and it was wonderful! I didn’t use sumac or lemon, only because I didn’t have any on hand. I also threw in a few handfuls of fresh-picked green beans… so delicious!
Michael says
I made this last night and it turned out terrific! Big hit with everyone. I don’t own a tagine and just used a black enamel roasting pan with a rack.It’s a new favorite in my home. I had some carrots in the fridge and added those too. I cooked it 1 and 3/4 hours, never opened the pan or oven. The chicken was juicy, falling off the bones, and very flavorful. The gravy was also wonderful. I found a recipe for Moroccan Barley bread on the web and baked that to go along with it. Awesome! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Joanna Cismaru says
Glad you liked it Michael!
karen jones says
yum!!
Mary says
This looks so darn good! Beautiful photos. Pinned. Thanks for sharing.
jo says
Thank you Mary!
Donna Duncan says
What could I use in place of sumac?
jo says
I would use some lemon zest or a bit of lemon juice, it just gives it a lemony flavor.
Sian says
What size tangine did you use?
jo says
My tagine is 11 inches, 1.5 qt.
Judy says
No tagine.
jo says
You can use a Dutch oven or a pot with a lid. Please read the notes section in the recipe for more information.
Michael says
Can I use something other than a tangine (which I do not own), like a cast iron dutch oven?
jo says
Absolutely, you can definitely use a Dutch oven or just a pot with a lid. Please read the notes section in the recipe for more information.
Bregor says
I do not have Tangine Cooker, is there another way to prepare. It looks so delich!
jo says
Absolutely, you can use a Dutch oven or just a pot with a lid. Please read the notes section in the recipe for more information.
The Flexible Chef says
Using a tagine to reach your 5-a-day = http://theflexiblechef.co.uk/vegetable-tagine-9-a-day/
Ethan Wilkins says
It’s the technique that matters! Tasty results!