If you’re searching for an authentic but relatively simple one-pot Moroccan chicken and vegetable tagine dish, then search no further. Packed with vegetables, dates, chickpeas, and aromatic Moroccan-based spices, this is a nutritious one-pot Middle Eastern delight and is sure to become a family favourite. Served as a main dish, alongside couscous, or part of a bigger feast, this is a protein-packed one-pot wonder.
Tagine: a clever one-pot dish
Historically, tagine cooking has deep roots in North African cuisine, particularly in Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. The tagine itself refers to both the earthenware pot and the slow-cooked stew within it. The tagine’s conical lid played a crucial role in its cooking method—trapping steam, allowing moisture to drip back into the dish, keeping ingredients tender and flavorful while using minimal water.
Today, in most Western kitchens, tagines are made in slow-cookers and casserole pots on the hob or in the oven. Whilst the methods may have changed the flavour is still there. With staple ingredients such as protein, vegetables, spices, legumes (such as chickpeas), olives, nuts and dried fruits, a tagine of any flavour combination is a nutritious one-pot dish.
What to serve with your tagine
A Moroccan chicken and vegetable tagine often forms part of a bigger family and friends feast. It is paired with sides that complement its rich, aromatic flavours. Here are some popular accompaniments:
- Flatbreads
- Carrot salad
- Couscous
- Cucumber raita
- Houmous
- Baba Ganoush
- Thick yoghurt
Chickpeas: protein-packed bullets
Chickpeas are nutritional champions that deserve a place in every kitchen. These humble legumes are packed with plant-based protein, making them excellent for vegetarians and anyone looking to reduce meat consumption. Rich in fiber, they support digestive health and help maintain stable blood sugar levels, keeping you satisfied longer.
Beyond protein and fiber, chickpeas provide essential minerals like iron, magnesium, and folate, plus they’re naturally low in fat and calories. Their versatility is unmatched—from creamy hummus to crispy roasted snacks, hearty curries to fresh salads. They’re also budget-friendly, shelf-stable, and environmentally sustainable, requiring less water and resources than animal proteins – whether using dried chickpeas or tinned.
Other chickpea recipes
Here you can find additional recipes from EatYourGreens containing healthy chickpeas:
This dish is great for using whatever vegetables you have to hand. In addition to those used in this recipe, you could add sweet potatoes or courgettes, for example.
You could certainly omit the chicken, making this recipe vegetarian, by adding an extra vegetable or two – particularly root vegetables such as celeriac, sweet potato, parsnip or turnip.
If you like your dishes on the more spicy side then feel free to double the amount of harissa paste.
Moroccan Chicken and Vegetable Tagine
Equipment
- 1 Medium Size Casserole with lid
Ingredients
- 800 g skinless and boneless chicken thighs
- 2 onions preferably red, cut into wedges
- 2 carrots cut into 1cm rounds
- 1 aubergine cut into 1cm cubes
- 1 red pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp rose harissa or a pinch of dried chilli flakes
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 400 g tinned chickpeas or the equivalent of dried and cooked
- 100 g pitted green olives whole
- 100 g dried dates roughly chopped
- 1/2 lemon thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Roughly chop the chicken into 3cm/1" chunks and place in a large casserole dish, which has a lid, along with the onions, carrots and aubergine and 2tbsp olive oil.
- Add all the spices and the olive oil to the casserole, season well, and mix well to coat the chicken and vegetables.
- Place on a medium to high heat, stirring regularly for 10 minutes. Do not let the spices burn, turn down the heat if this starts to happen (and add a splash of water if necessary).
- Add the harissa paste, the drained and rinsed chickpeas, and tinned tomatoes along with a can of water.
- Next add in the green olives, the chopped dates and the sliced lemon. Give everything a good stir to combine all the flavours and put the lid on and simmer over a low to medium heat for 20 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes of so.
- Scatter with the parsley and serve the tagine alongside some freshly steamed couscous.
Notes
- Substitute a can of chickpeas with dried ones in this no soak recipe
- This dish is great for using whatever vegetables you have to hand. In addition to those used above, you could add sweet potatoes or courgettes, for example.
- You could omit the chicken making this vegetarian, by adding an extra vegetable or two – particularly root vegetables such as celeriac, sweet potato, parsnip or turnip.
- If you like your dishes on the more spicy side then feel free to double the amount of harissa paste.
- Flatbreads or rice could be an alternative to serving the tagine with couscous.
