Moroccan Style Roast Chicken and Potatoes
This Moroccan Style Roast Chicken and Potatoes is slowly cooked in a tagine and filled with intense Moroccan flavor. 5 minute prep time is all you need for this delicious dinner with a twist!
I bought a tagine, finally! I’ve been wanting one for years. I’ve been looking at them and admiring them, but it was always one of those things that you know you want but aren’t sure what to do with it, or are afraid of it. Don’t ask me why, I just always assumed cooking in a tagine was very complicated. I’m glad to report to you guys, I was wrong. I can’t believe i just said that, it doesn’t happen often. Cooking in a tagine couldn’t get any easier, the easiest one pot cooking there is.
With Valentine’s day coming up, this would make a perfect dinner for you and your sweetheart, especially if you wanted to impress your significant other. I bought this tagine last week and I’ve already used 4 times, guess you know what we’ve been having for dinner during the past week. And 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.
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.
You’ll notice when this dish is done that there will be a nice gravy in the tagine, probably from the chicken and the tomatoes, which we loved and just used to pour over the chicken and potatoes as we served this. It was really delicious and the chicken was probably the most moist chicken I’ve ever had. I love the addition of tomatoes here because as you bite into one you just get that big burst of flavor, really really good.
If you loved this recipe, try these!
- Lemon Chicken Rice Bake
- Roast Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Garlic Sauce
- Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken Legs
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!
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Moroccan Style Roast Chicken and Potatoes
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 1 hr 45 mins
Total: 1 hr 50 mins
Serves: 6
This Moroccan Style Roast Chicken and Potatoes is slowly cooked in a tagine and filled with intense Moroccan flavor. 5 minute prep time is all you need for this delicious roast chicken with a twist!
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 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. ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 466kcal (23%)Carbohydrates: 25g (8%)Protein: 26g (52%)Fat: 28g (43%)Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)Cholesterol: 95mg (32%)Sodium: 683mg (30%)Potassium: 851mg (24%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 9g (10%)Vitamin A: 1180IU (24%)Vitamin C: 30.9mg (37%)Calcium: 51mg (5%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
Nutrition Facts
Moroccan Style Roast Chicken and Potatoes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 466 Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 95mg32%
Sodium 683mg30%
Potassium 851mg24%
Carbohydrates 25g8%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 26g52%
Vitamin A 1180IU24%
Vitamin C 30.9mg37%
Calcium 51mg5%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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!