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.
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.
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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.
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.
Nutrition
