The Easy Exotic series is back! Let's continue trying out unique flavors with this exotic Moroccan chicken tagine with mango!!! If you don't have mangoes, use pears or apples!
RECIPE:
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken Ingredients:
1 kg chicken, cut in half
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 onions, grated
2 garlic cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of saffron threads
Salt and pepper, to taste
A small bunch of fresh cilantro
Mangos Ingredients:
2 mangos
1/3 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
For Serving:
Crusty bread
DIRECTIONS:
Step 1- Preparing the ingredients
1- First, peel the onions, cut in half and grate them using the large holes of the grater. Finely chop the leftover onion pieces.
2- Finely chop the garlic cloves.
3- Cut the chicken in half and remove the excess fat.
Step 2- Cooking the Chicken
4- On medium heat, in a large pot, drizzle the vegetable oil and add the butter.
5- Once the oil heats up, add the grated onions, chopped garlic, pinch of saffron and the spices: ground ginger, ground turmeric, pepper, salt, and a cinnamon stick. Mix and cook for a few minutes.
6- Add the chicken pieces to the pot and mix.
7- Cover the pot and let the chicken cook for around 5 minutes with the onions and spices until all sides change color. This way the spices and flavors are locked in the meat.
8- After 5 minutes, add the fresh cilantro, add water to half cover the chicken. Raise the heat to high, cover the pot, and bring to a boil.
9- After 15 minutes of cooking the chicken, lower the heat to medium-high and keep cooking for another 20 minutes or so until the chicken is tender.
Step 3- Preparing the Mangos
10- Peel and slice the mangos into big slices.
11- Pour around 1 cup of the chicken sauce in a separate saucepan and place on medium heat, .
12- Add the honey and ground cinnamon. Mix and simmer for 10 minutes.
13- Add the mango pieces.
14- Cook the mango pieces on one side for a few minutes then gently turn them over and cook the other side for a few minutes untill both sides are caramelized.
15- Finish with a teaspoon of Orange Blossom Water. Cook for a few minutes then turn of the heat.
Step 4- Serve the Tagine:
16- Check that the chicken tagine is ready, the chicken should be tender. Taste the sauce and adjust the spices accordingly.
17- To serve this tagine, first place the chicken in a plate, add the tagine sauce, then top with the caramelized mangoes. And of course, don’t forget to add some of that delicious honey mango sauce. Decorate with a little bit of sesame seeds, and serve immediately with crusty bread.
Bon appetit!