Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potatoes and Prunes

For a recipe that has the word prunes in it, this is fantastic. But then I love, love, love prunes. Especially in savory combinations with fruits and pork or chicken, spices. Exactly like this recipe for chicken tagine with sweet potatoes and prunes.

Our designated recipe from the book Around My French Table, by Dorie Greenspan turned out exactly as I expected. What I didn´t expect was for it to be so easy. In my mind the word tagine is synonymous with slow cooking, spices, sweet, exotic. The kind of food I always thought could only be produced with the right equipment, like a tagine, da-a, or in a restaurant because they have those great fires or pots or whatever.

So, while I never had an actual tagine, so then why am I comparing you might be thinking, it´s because it turned out the way I thought a tagine should taste.

By now you might´ve guessed that I absolutely loved this. I did. Big time. Ate it for two whole days in a row. Whole days as in lunch and dinner, lunch and dinner again. I would eat it again tonight if I had any left. That´s how much I loved it.

As for the recipe itself, the idea of cooking without browning the onions makes them almost dissapear by the time the tagine is done. After the onions, all those wonderful spices like saffron threads, star anise, cinnamon, cayenne and bay leaf are added. Then come the honey, prunes, seared chicken pieces and broth. Last, the sweet potatoes.

And off you go mind your own business, catch up with some food blog reading or take a look at your dashboard yet again, or simply watch the first episodes of the new season of Grey´s Anatomy (everything is a bit late in these latitudes). 

The tagine simmers away, undisturbed, the sweet potatoes, the prunes (did I tell you I love them), chicken thighs, the honey and spices melding together, absorbing a bit from each other and finally turning themselves wonderful shades of ocre and gold. 

All crowned in the end, when the plates are presented, with crunchy toasted sliced almonds. Because life is so much better when the nuts are toasted.

You can find the recipe here. And to see what our French Fridays with Dorie group made with it  visit this page.