Saffron Chicken Tagine: A Fusion Dish You Didn’t Know You Need

Saffron chicken tagine is a stunning coming together, rather unexpectedly at that, of two vibrant culinary worlds. While tagine itself is a slow-cooked dish coming from northern African kitchens, infusing it with saffron is all about lending the culinary classic an aromatic touch from an Indian pantry. In this fusion tagine recipe, saffron’s golden hues and fragrant flourishes meet the flavourful nuances of gentle spices, dried fruits and perfectly cooked chicken, leading to a luxurious and comforting dish, global yet quite familiar.

prep time 00 Hour 20 Mins

cook time 00 Hour 50 Mins

chef Team Kitchen Diaries

Making a saffron chicken tagine at home is all about infusing the traditional flavours of the classic Indian spice into the Moroccan recipe to build a rich colour, aroma and subtle sweetness into the recipe. Cooking tagine with saffron seamlessly blends two cultures rather well, introducing the harmony of sweet and savoury flavours into it. Moroccan tagines balance the sweet depth of dates, apricots or raisins added to the recipe with the savoury hints of chicken. Adding saffron into the mix along with a hint of garam masala brings a fusion flair into the recipe, while balancing its layered and warm flavours.

Moreover, what’s absolutely interesting about the tagine is that it requires minimal but very effective cookware. Traditionally, tagine is prepared in a clay pot so its flavours and scents also ooze into the vegetables and meats cooking inside. This fits rather well into the slow-cook style that is so familiar to Indian kitchens. The tagine, with its desi touches, can be

Tips and Tricks

1 One of the most essential elements involved in cooking tagine is the chicken. Use a TTK Prestige Cast Iron Scratch Resistant Round Base Fry Pan to sear the chicken. This will brown the chicken evenly.

2 To make the tagine even more authentic, use a container akin to the tagine pot. Go for the TTK Prestige Durastone Hard Anodised Non-Stick Casserole, which will allow the slow-cooking process to occur smoothly.

3 Another interesting alternative is to use a heavy-bottomed kadai such as the TTK Prestige Cast Iron Scratch Resistant Round Base Kadai, which will provide slow, even heating. With this, it is possible to mimic the traditional tagine slow-cooking practice at home.

4 An interesting hack is to turn the marinade for the chicken into an integrated masala. To make the masala infused with ginger garlic paste and other assorted condiments, use the TTK Prestige Deluxe Mixer Grinder that will integrate the ingredients beautifully.

5 Making the tagine is all about making the most of the aromas of saffron added to the recipe. Extracting these is possible when the saffron is immersed in warm chicken stock simmering in a saucepan. Use the TTK Prestige Triple Ply Sauce Pan to heat the small portion of chicken stock before immersing the saffron.

Step 1

Soak the saffron strands in warm broth for at least 10 minutes to allow the liquid to turn a deep golden-orange.

Step 2

Heat oil in a pan and sear the chicken. Let it cook completely on all sides until slightly browned. Sprinkle a little salt on it and set aside.

Step 3

To build the tagine base, add onions to a casserole or kadai and sautée until golden. Next, add ginger and garlic, followed by turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato purée and allow it to cook until the oil starts separating.

Step 4

Now, slow-cook in tagine style and add the chicken to the sauce.

Step 5

Next, add the saffron broth, honey and lemon juice. Also add the dried fruits and chopped carrots.

Step 6

Cover the tagine with a lid and let it simmer for at least 30-35 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally. Allow the sauce to become glossy and thick.

Step 7

Take the tagine off the flame once ready and garnish with coriander, mint and toasted almond slices. Serve hot with steamed rice or saffron-infused jeera rice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Certainly. In Indian culinary traditions, saffron is often immersed in milk to extract its aromas, hues and flavours. The same technique can be followed while making the tagine too, to lend it more of a desi touch.

Along with carrots, it is possible to add pumpkins, brinjals, sweet potatoes and even green bottle gourd to the tagine recipe to lend it more of a desi flair.

Tagine is known for its slow-cooking culinary technique. Preparing it on a high flame runs the risk of drying the chicken. It can also break the textural nuance of the sauce. That’s why it is essential to cook tagine on low-heat.

Calories 410 Kcal

Total Fat 20 g

Carbs 26 g

Protein 35 g

ESSENTIAL ITEMS

500 gm For The Chicken: Bone-in chicken

1 piece Thinly sliced medium onion

4 piece Minced garlic cloves

1 piece Grated ginger

2 tbsp Olive oil

0.5 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Cumin powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

0.5 tsp Garam masala

0.5 tsp Cinnamon powder

0.5 tsp Black pepper

as per taste Salt

9 piece For The Saffron Broth: Saffron strands

0.5 cup Warm chicken stock

1 tbsp Honey

1 tbsp Lemon juice

8 piece For Tagine: Soft dates

8 piece Dried apricots, halved

1 piece Sliced carrot

2 piece Puréed tomatoes

to garnish Fresh coriander and mint

6 piece Sliced toasted almonds

Recipe by:

Team Kitchen Diaries

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