Chicken & Butternut Squash Tagine

For this recipe I cheat a little and use a pre-made Moroccan Harissa spice mix. It’s basically a mixture of ground cumin, coriander, chilli powder and cinnamon, so if you can’t get hold of the mix then just use a combination of these. It will work just as well. The key for this recipe to really work is to not rush it. The butternut squash needs plenty of time to cook so that it goes nice and soft. Most tagine’s are cooked for a long time, generally using lamb or at least fattier cuts of meat so that it still stays tender and moist. If you are like me and don’t like to eat fatty meat, then you can still do it with chicken breast but just cook the butternut squash for a while first before adding the chicken to ensure it doesn’t dry out. Couscous is a great accompaniment to a tagine, as it helps to absorb any excess moisture and makes sure you don’t miss out on any flavour.

Print Recipe

Chicken & Butternut Squash Tagine

Keyword

Butternut Squash, Chicken, Chickpeas, Couscous, Kale

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

35 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 piece ginger
• 1 chilli
• 1/2 butternut squash
• 2 tbsp Moroccan spice mix
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 1/2 tin chickpeas
• 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 1 handful fresh coriander
• 100 g couscous
• 250 ml chicken stock
• 100 g kale

Keyword Butternut Squash, Chicken, Chickpeas, Couscous, Kale Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 35 minutes Servings people Ingredients 1 tsp olive oil 1 onion 2 cloves garlic 1 piece ginger 1 chilli 1/2 butternut squash 2 tbsp Moroccan spice mix 1 tin tomatoes 1/2 tin chickpeas 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts 1 handful fresh coriander 100 g couscous 250 ml chicken stock 100 g kale

Instructions

To prepare:

1. Peel and dice the onion and place in a deep lidded frying pan with the olive oil.
2. Peel and grate the garlic and ginger.
3. Peel and deseed the butternut squash. Cut it in to 1-2 cm cubes.
4. Thinly slice the chilli.
5. Cut the chicken breasts in to bite size pieces.
6. Weigh out half the tin of chickpeas and store the other half in an airtight container in the fridge to use in another recipe.

To cook:

1. Heat the onion over a medium heat and fry for 3 minutes.
2. Add the ginger and garlic and continue to fry for 1 minute.
3. Add the butternut squash and chilli and stir well.
4. Add the moroccan spice mix and keep frying everything, stirring regularly for 5 minutes.
5. Pour in the tomatoes and chickpeas. Mix well and lower the heat down. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add in the chicken pieces and handful of coriander, shredding it while you add.
7. Return the lid to the pan and cook for another 10 minutes.
8. Meanwhile weigh out the couscous in to a bowl and boil the kettle.
9. Make the stock with boiling water and pour it immediately over the couscous, cover and leave until ready to serve.
10. Weigh out the kale and once the 10 minutes is up on the tagine, add the kale to the pan and return the lid and cook for another 5 minutes.
11. To serve, divide the couscous between 2 bowls and top with the tagine.

Recipe Notes

If you make this, let me know how it goes and share your photos.  I’d also love to hear how you adapt it to suit yourself.