Daniel Boulud’s Chicken Tagine

Recipe from Daniel Boulud

Adapted by Sam Sifton

Published November 10, 2014

  • Michael Kraus for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Rating
4(3,066)
Comments
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This recipe for an elegant North African stew comes out of the kitchen of Boulud Sud, Daniel Boulud’s sophisticated Mediterranean French restaurant in New York. It is a dish steeped in the flavors of North Africa, but also of France. Chicken serves as the protein, bathed in a blend of North African spices — cinnamon and coriander, turmeric, ginger powder and cardamom — combined with tomatoes, saffron and a little stock. Preserved lemons and olives added at the end provide bite. Tagines are often cooked with root vegetables and dried fruits. Boulud, who famously grew up on a farm, in Lyon, uses cauliflower. ‘‘It is maybe a little more French approach to the tagine,’’ he said. Blanching the cauliflower and tomatoes before cooking them may cause some cooks to blanch themselves. But the effort is worth it. —Sam Sifton

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

FOR THE SPICE MIX

  • 3 ½ tablespoons sweet paprika

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

  • 3 tablespoons ground coriander

  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

  • 1 tablespoon ginger powder

  • ½ tablespoon ground cardamom

  • 2 ½ teaspoons ground allspice

FOR THE TAGINE

  • 8 chicken thighs, approximately 3 pounds

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  • 2 tablespoons spice mix

  • ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 3 Roma tomatoes

  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets

  • 1 large white onion, diced

  • 3 cloves garlic, diced

  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

  • 1 pinch saffron

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

  • 2 cups chicken stock, homemade or low-sodium

  • 3 tablespoons preserved lemons, approximately 2 lemons, roughly chopped

  • 1 cup green olives, like Castelvetranos

  • ½ bunch cilantro, leaves picked and stems discarded.

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

35 grams carbs; 382 milligrams cholesterol; 1231 calories; 45 grams monosaturated fat; 17 grams polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 91 grams fat; 12 grams fiber; 1900 milligrams sodium; 73 grams protein; 9 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the spices in a dry sauté pan set over low heat, and toast them gently until they release their fragrance, 2 minutes or so. Transfer to a bowl, and allow to cool.

  2. Step 2

    Preheat oven to 350. Season the chicken thighs with the salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of the spice mix, along with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.

  3. Step 3

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, and set a large bowl of ice water to the side. Core the tomatoes, and score an X on their bottoms. Boil the cauliflower florets in the water for 3 minutes, then submerge them in the ice water. Boil the tomatoes for 20 seconds, and chill them in the ice water as well. Remove the cauliflower when it is cold, and pat the florets dry. Peel the skin off the tomatoes, then cut them into quarters lengthwise. Trim away the seeds to make petals.

  4. Step 4

    Heat the remaining olive oil in a large sauté pan set over medium heat, and sear the chicken in batches, starting skin-side down, until the thighs are browned. Remove the chicken to a large Dutch oven or tagine pot. Remove all but two tablespoons of the fat in pan, then return it to the heat, and brown the cauliflower and add to the chicken.

  5. Step 5

    Reduce heat below the pan, and add the onion, garlic, ginger and saffron. Cook, stirring, until the onions are translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and chicken stock, and simmer until reduced by ⅓.

  6. Step 6

    Pour sauce over the chicken and cauliflower, cover the pot and transfer to oven for 20 minutes. Remove, stir in the tomatoes, preserved lemon and olives, then cover the pot again and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve the chicken in the pot, garnished with the cilantro leaves, with couscous. Reserve remaining spice mix for the next batch or another use. It keeps well in a sealed container.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
3,066 user ratings
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Comments

Deborah Martin Shorter

Wonderful colors and flavors! However, the cauliflower, after a 3 minute blanch and two 20 minute periods in the oven, was near disintegration. Were I to prepare this again, I would blanch for only a minute, brown the blanched florets, then add them at the last, along with the olives and tomatoes. Cauliflower's a delicate vegetable, and needs to maintain some texture to hold its own with the stronger flavors; a 20 minute simmer, after browning, would be more than enough to accomplish this.

Dave in DC

Discovering that the key ingredient to this dish was the preserved lemon (no substitute will likely do), I took a page from Melissa Clark's playbook and squirted some fresh lemon juice over the plates after serving, which served to bring everything, including the spices, to life. Other tips include removing the skin from 4 to 6 of the thighs to avoid a fatty sauce, dispense with the blanching of the cauliflower and add it later, and add the olives earlier.

sb

Fyi: To make preserved lemon. Get a mason jar... I use pint size. Cut the lemons in quarters but not all the way through. Pack as many as you possibly can in the jar. Squish them in then pack with lots and lots of kosher salt. I use Diamond brand. Tighten the lid and leave it for 3 weeks....You dont have to go crazy looking for them. Rinse the lemon before use and discard the pulp. The rind is softened wnd delicious. I use the lemon for lots of savory dishes...Hope this helps.

Susan R

Spice Mix (¼ batch)    These are the spice mix measurements divided by 4. I still had mix left over. Love this recipe!  •    7/8 tablespoon sweet paprika (or 2⅝ teaspoons)     •    ¼ teaspoon garlic powder     •    ½ teaspoon cinnamon     •    ¾ tablespoon ground coriander     •    1 teaspoon ground turmeric     •    ¾ teaspoon ginger powder     •    ⅜ teaspoon ground cardamom     •    ⅝ teaspoon ground allspice

Daphne Z

Have made this many times and have not once blanched the cauliflower and it tastes divine every time. Additionally, I use whole peeled canned tomatoes instead of fresh. Both are time savers and there's still a ton of flavor.

Siera Blakely

Hands down, my favorite dish to eat. Not make. It’s very time consuming, takes me 3 hours or so typically. The flavors are incredible. I have always used my own preserved lemons except this time I used some from The Fresh Market. They were good too! I always like extra lemons in mine. Such a wonderful dish.

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Credits

Adapted from Daniel Boulud.

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