Skillet Chicken Tagine with Apricots

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Keyword: apricot chicken tagine, apricot tagine chicken, chicken apricot tagine, chicken tagine with apricots

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 50

Marinating time: 30

Total Time: 1 30

Servings:

Calories: 849kcal

This skillet chicken apricot tagine is infused with Moroccan and North African flavors, it's a homey, comforting, spice-laden stew.

Get Recipe Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the spices and the olive oil. Add the chicken and toss until evenly coated. Marinate for 10-30 minutes. (See note.)
Meanwhile, dice the onion finely, and use a microplane grater to grate the garlic (or mince it with a knife.) Use a vegetable peeler to cut 4 wide strips of zest from the orange, then juice it and set both aside.
Place a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil if you think you'll need to it keep the chicken from sticking.
Working in two batches, place the chicken skin-side down and cook until the skin is golden brown and crisp, 5-10 minutes depending on size, then flip over and cook about two minutes on the other side. Set aside on a plate to rest while you prepare the sauce.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions to the skillet and cook until they are soft and translucent, 5-8 minutes, then add the grated garlic and stir constantly for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add the chicken stock and stir to deglaze the pan, scraping up any crispy bits on the bottom. Stir in the vinegar and add the apricots and bring to a low simmer.
Return the chicken and resting juices to the pan. Tie the parsley and cilantro stems together in a a bundle and lay them on top of the chicken. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 30 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F. Serve directly from the skillet, top with more fresh cilantro or parsley if desired.

Marinating time can vary: 30 minutes will give you the deepest flavor and ensure the chicken has time to absorb the salt, but if you are pressed for time, 10 minutes of marinating will do.
You don't need a special tagine pot: A deep skillet with a lid or a Dutch oven will work just fine.
Careful not to cut into the pith on the orange: When slicing the orange zest, don't go too deep. You don't want any of that white pith, which can be bitter. Just get the orange part of the peel for incredible flavor and aroma.
Be sure to get the chicken crispy to render all the fat from the skin: No, the chicken won't remain crisp, what we are doing is getting all of the fat out of it first, then it can enrich the sauce, making it silky and leaving behind all that chicken-y flavor, as well as the flavor from the marinating spices.

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