Wannabe Chicken Tagine

Tagines originated in North Africa and are named for the special pot in which they are made. The Moroccan Tagines (or more correctly Tajines) are slow cooked stews. Also typically made in the tagine pot, they often use less desireable pieces of meat because the process makes them so tender. This version is not made in a special pot, nor does it take long at all to cook, but it sure is delicious. As my first journey into the world of tagines I'm happy with it, and now I'm quite interested in exploring a more traditional version.




A Couple of Things: Resist the temptation to cook the meat completely before slicing it, it's unnecessary and if you're using something without a lot of fat, like a boneless chicken breast, you run the risk of overcooking the meat. If you plan on using chicken breast I would recommend using only 1 lb. and trying thighs for the other 1 lb, there needs to be just a bit of fat to really bring this dish together.
**Have your ingredients prepped before you start cooking. This dish comes together super fast!**

Ingredients:
2 lbs. Boneless Chicken, any cut
2 tsp. Hungarian Paprika
2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 C Onion, Diced (about 1 large onion)
2 C Tomatoes, Diced
15.5 oz. Can Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans), rinsed & drained
2 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped (optional)



Process:
Combine the paprika, ginger, and black pepper. Rub the spice mixture evenly over the chicken.
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken, cook 3 min on each side, until lightly browned.
Transfer chicken to a cutting board, slice, and return to the pan.
Add onion, sautee 2-3 minutes.
Add tomato and salt.
Cover and cook about 15 minutes, stirring occaionally.
Stir in cilantro.

I quite enjoyed this over some jasmine rice.

Enjoy!