Delicious Chicken and Green Beans Tagine

This is it my friends. This is one of the most iconic Moroccan stews you are ever going to eat. It’s simple, delicious and packed with healthy veggies. If you have never made a Tagine before then this simple Chicken and Green Beans Tagine is a great place to start.

Let me show you how you can make this.

What is a Tagine ?

This question comes up often. So whenever I’m publishing a Tagine recipe, I always take some time to write an answer.

Tagine is a word that has a double meaning.

First, it refers to the traditional cookware typically made out of clay (or ceramic). The bottom of a Tagine is wide, circular and quite shallow while the top is usually shaped into a rounded dome or cone with a small side-hole that allows for a small amount of steam to escape. The lid is quite an important piece as it allows to for proper air circulation, traps most of the moisture in which helps cook everything from the bottom-up. In a sense, the flavor of this Moroccan stew evaporates and incorporates itself into the entire dish from the bottom-up. That is why, it’s very important to have a very good quality clay tagine.

Tagines also tend to retain the flavor of whatever you cook in them, and over the long term develop a distinct aroma.

Fun fact: the traditional way to cook a Tagine is on a majmar(small clay-made barbecue) or hot ambers which allows for a slow cook and incorporates a fantastic bbq flavour in it.

How to make Chicken and Green Beans Tagine

First of all, let’s take a quick look at the ingredients:

• Chicken drumsticks : you can use any other kind of chicken cut you prefer. I like drumsticks because they are practical and cheap. They are also packed with natural fats which help add a lot of flavor. Not to mention that they are perfect for a slow-cooked stew.
• Red onions: I prefer red to white or yellow onions because they pack more flavor. However, you can use any kind you have on hand, it will still be delicious.
• Extra virgin olive oil: use the best you can get your hands on. Always stick to extra virgin olive oil as it is healthier that canola oil and is the typical oil used in Moroccan cuisine.
• Preserved lemons: a staple in Moroccan cuisine. They are essential to many dishes that are made in Morocco as they add freshness, salt, and depth to tagines and stews, dressings and sauces.
• Potatoes: this is completely optional. I am a big fan of potatoes and I love adding them to my stews. If you don’t like potatoes, you can use carrots or just skip altogether. However, I highly recommend that you try to make this Tagine with potatoes as they tend to absorb flavor better than any other veggie.
• Green Beans: also called loubia in Morocco. The star of this dish, truly. Try to make this dish when green beans are in season, wherever you live. It makes a huge difference.
• Spices: I used a mixture of ginger, turmeric, cumin, salt (not a spice) and black pepper.

Now let’s take a look at the steps:

The first and most important step is to build up your Tagine. Start by drizzling 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil on the base of your dish. Add your chicken drumsticks on top. Top with your onions, your diced preserved lemon. Drizzle your spices then place your potatoes all around the chicken. Top with green beans and drizzle with salt and pepper. Drizzle about a 1/3 of a cup of water and cover with your lid.

Make sure that your tagine is cracked open like this to allow for the steam to escape and avoid overflow.

At this point, it is just a waiting game. Keep an eye on your tagine, make sure that it doesn’t burn. However, I will say that if you do leave it on low-heat and use a lid like demonstrated above, your tagine will not burn. After 40-45 minutes your Tagine should look like this :

As you can probably see, the Tagine is still very watery. If you are the kind of person who likes a saucy stew then just go ahead and serve it. However, if like me, you prefer a thicker stew, then let your tagine simmer for another 5-8 minutes uncovered.

At the end, it should look like this:

In one word: delicious.

Serve with some crusty bread and share with your family and loved ones. Enjoy <3

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Delicious Chicken and Green Bean Tagine

This is one of the most iconic Moroccan stews you are ever going to eat. It's simple, delicious and packed with healthy veggies. If you have never made a Tagine before then this simple Chicken and Green Beans Tagine is a great place to start.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Moroccan

Keyword Chicken, Green Bean, Moroccan, Recipe, Tagine

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Idriss

Ingredients

• 1 lbs chicken drumsticks
• 2 red onions roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small preserved lemon
• 1 to 1.5 lbs yellow potatoes peeled and cut into quarters (see notes)
• 1/2 lbs green beans (see notes)
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Prep your preserved lemon by cutting it in half, removing the pulp and roughly chopping it. The lemon skin into strips and set aside.

2. Start by drizzling 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil on the base of your dish. Add your chicken drumsticks on top. Top with your onions and preserved lemon (pulp and skin). Drizzle your spices then place your potatoes all around the chicken. Top with green beans and drizzle with salt and pepper. Drizzle about a 1/3 of a cup of water and cover with your lid.

   Make sure that your tagine is cracked open like this to allow for the steam to escape and avoid overflow.

3. At this point, it is just a waiting game. Keep an eye on your tagine, make sure that it doesn't burn. However, I will say that if you do leave it on low-heat and use a lid like demonstrated above, your tagine will not burn. After 40-45 minutes your Tagine should look very saucy.

4. As you can probably see, the Tagine is still very watery. If you are the kind of person who likes a saucy stew then just go ahead and serve it. However, if like me, you prefer a thicker stew, then let your tagine simmer for another 5-8 minutes uncovered.

5. Serve with some crusty bread and share with your family and loved ones. Enjoy <3

Recipe Notes

Potatoes: I used small potatoes, so I did cut them into halves instead. If your potatoes are 7" to 9" long then you would want to cut them into quarters. If they are smaller 5" or less, then cut them into halves. 

Green beans: I did prep them by cutting off the pointy ends. This makes them a lot more enjoyable to eat.