Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
2 onions, finely diced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
4 sprigs of fresh coriander, finely chopped
4 sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground turmeric
6 chicken breasts, bone in and skin on
pinch of saffron threads
200ml chicken stock
50g golden raisins
500g canned chopped tomatoes
250g almonds blanched, toasted and chopped
200g pomegranate seeds
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD:
Mix half the onion, garlic, coriander and parsley in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of the ginger, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon and the turmeric and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Rub the chicken breasts with the marinate to coat. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to marinade for 2-3 hours in the fridge, or for best results overnight.
Pre-heat the oven to 180oC.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan. Fry the chicken for 3 minutes on each side until slightly brown. Put the remaining olive oil, onion, garlic and 1 teaspoon of ginger, in an ovenproof pot. Stir the mixture and place the chicken on top.
Heat the saffron in a dry pan, then sprinkle it over the chicken along with some pepper and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Add the chicken stock, raisins, and chopped tomatoes and scatter over the remaining fresh parsley and coriander. Cover with the lid, and cook for about 1 hour in the oven until tender. Check the tagine regularly, making sure that the sauce doesn’t dry out, adding a splash of water or more stock if necessary.
To serve, garnish the tagine with toasted almonds and pomegranate seeds, and serve with couscous and a dollop of yogurt, if you wish.
