Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Caramelized Pears

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 68 min
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 servings

Description

This flavor-packed chicken tagine dish is made by braising a whole chicken in a tagine pot with aromatic spices, onions, and sweet pears until perfectly tender and delicious.

Ingredients

7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 onions, peeled and sliced
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
3 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves, crushed
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
2 pears, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons honey

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2 Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir until softened and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer onions into a tagine pot. Layer chicken pieces on top of onions.
3 Combine turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, and salt in a small bowl; mix well with remaining 5 tablespoons olive oil. Spread spice mixture onto the chicken pieces. Add cinnamon pieces, bay leaves, ginger, and cilantro. Pour in 1/2 cup of water and cover tagine pot with a lid.
4 Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
5 Melt butter in a skillet over low heat while chicken is cooking. Add sliced pears and honey and cook, while stirring, until honey has caramelized.
6 Remove tagine from the oven and stir in caramelized pears. Return to the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes.