Chicken and Cauliflower Tagine

As I was browsing the net looking for new recipes I ran across the blog Moroccan Cuisine Marocaine and started looking around. Since I have a tagine that's always begging to be used, I narrowed down the hunt to chicken tagine. And then I found it.... chicken and cauliflower. I never thought to add cauliflower for some reason. Unfortunately, when I went to make the recipe my internet died and I had no way to see the recipe so I had to make up my own. Traditionally, it's served with bread. I like mine with rice though and you could even use couscous if you wanted. Also, a lot of recipes call for a large amount of cinnamon but my husband and I do not care for that too much. I keep the amount of cinnamon low, just enough to give the recipe some more spice and depth, but not enough to identify. Adjust to taste. :)

If you don't have a tagine you could use a clay pot or a pot with a heavy lid. It doesn't taste exactly the same, but I think it works pretty well. Just make sure the heat isn't too high. By the way, I know the instructions look long (as usual), but I swear it's an easy recipe.

Click here for more tagine info.

Have the spices and garlic ready to go

Cook the onions and add the spices

Add the potatoes

Serve

Chicken and Cauliflower Tagine

Serving Size = Roughly 3

• 6 chicken legs (pat dry)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1, 14.5 oz can of whole tomatoes, or 4 - 5 small tomatoes, chopped
• About 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water or chicken stock (I usually use water)
• 1/2, 14.5 oz can of peas, or roughly 1/2 cup of frozen peas
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• Salt/pepper to taste (about 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper)
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• Roughly 2 - 3 cups chopped cauliflower
• Roughly 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• Roughly 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 small potatoes,  peeled and diced
• A few tablespoons of oil (EVOO)

1. Place the tagine on the stovetop, no lid, and set the temperature to medium. Add the oil right away. Once it heats up, add the chicken legs and brown them. Remove to a plate.
2. Add the onions (and more oil if necessary) and cook until they start to soften and get a touch of color.
3. Add all of the spices and garlic at once to cook them a bit, just a few seconds, then add the tomatoes (if in a can, add about 1/4 of the juice as well). Stir well, getting the brown bit and spices off the bottom. Put the lid on and let cook about 5 minutes.
4. Add the chicken legs back in and fill the tagine about 1/2 way up the chicken legs with water or chicken stock. Gently stir and put the lid on. Cook for about 45 minutes to and hour on medium-low heat, stirring from time to time.
5. Add the potatoes, put the lid back on, and cook for about 30 minutes (You might need to add more liquid, keep checking throughout the process. It's ok if it's a little less than half way up the chicken but you don't want it too dry.... you can also add too much liquid though).
6. Add the cauliflower, cilantro, and parsley and cook for another 20 minutes with the lid on. At some point taste it to check if it needs more spices. (When cooking a tagine, the cooking time should be around 2 hours normally. If you want to reduce the time a bit, you could cut the potatoes very small and cut the time back by 30 minutes. I wouldn't recommend any less cooking time though).
7. At the end I add the peas and cook for about 5 minutes since they're already cooked.
8. Serve with bread (traditional), or rice or even couscous.... heck, I think it would even be yummy over mashed potatoes, it's up to you. :)

Here is the tagine that I use: Emile Henry 3.7 quart in red

Linking to: Made from Scratch Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday Party, Tasty Tuesdays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday, Whole Food Wednesdays, Gallery of Favorites