Algerian Tagine Of Chicken and Apples
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: North African
 
Adapted from Joyce Goldstein
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs crisp apples, peeled, sliced, and sprinkled with apple cider vinegar to prevent browning (if you are using primarily sweet apples, then add a tad more vinegar)
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 4-5 lbs chicken pieces (or 1 chicken cut up), bone-in and skin-on, patted dry and sprinkled with salt and pepper
  • 3 large onions, sliced
  • ½ t freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1 T cinnamon (I used ceylon--use 2 t if you use cassia)
  • ¼ cup water
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 F.
  2. Heat the oil over high heat in a medium-large Dutch oven. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides, and then remove to a bowl and set aside. Either add more olive oil as needed or drain off the excess fat--whichever you think is best (traditionally would be made with more fat but I tend to drain some off). Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions with a pinch of salt and sauté until caramelized, 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally--if they start to scorch you can deglaze with a little apple cider vinegar or water and turn the heat down a bit.
  3. Stir in the spices and cook, stirring, an additional 5 minutes. Do not let the spices burn. Add the chicken back into the pot with a ¼ cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover with a heavy lid and place in the oven for 30 mins.
  4. In the meantime prepare the apples. At the end of the 30 minutes, take the pot out and add the apples to the dish. Replace the lid and return to the oven for another 15-30 minutes, until the apples have softened without becoming mushy and the chicken is cooked through and quite tender. It will not fall off the bone as though cooked in a slow cooker, however. Salt and pepper to taste, and add more cinnamon if desired. Serve over couscous, rice or potatoes.
Recipe by The Spiced Life at https://www.thespicedlife.com/algerian-tagine-of-chicken-and-apples/