
Perfect for busy weeknights but also good enough to serve to guests at the weekend, my One Pan Chicken Tagine is fantastically simple to make, chock full of goodness and, best of all, needs only one pan to make it in. Not only that but it’s absolutely packed full of flavour.

I love playing with different spices, trying new combinations and mixing things up a bit. One of the spices sometimes used in savoury cooking that I’ve had to learn to love is cinnamon. I absolutely love it in sweet food but the first time I cooked with it in savoury food I was following a recipe from a famous but maybe slightly over enthusiastic celebrity chef who added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to a chilli. Some people may have loved that chilli, but it was WAY too much for me and it took me years to pluck up the courage to try it in savoury food again! As a result, I only use a little bit of cinnamon in this tagine and the simmering time gives it plenty of time to mellow down and mix gorgeously with the other spices. However, if you like a cinnamon kick in your tagine then feel free to add more.

In this recipe I cook the sweet potato cubes in the microwave. If you don’t want to do this then feel free to cook them directly in the sauce but you will need to add a little more liquid to the pan and add them with the chicken. I find that microwaving the sweet potatoes then adding them to the nearly cooked dish gives me more control over their texture as I can ensure everything is ready at the same time.
For a vegetarian option (liked by my children even more that the chicken version) leave out the chicken breasts, use a vegetable stock and add three tins of chickpeas.

If you’re serving this midweek and are happy to dirty another pan, why not serve this with some green leafy veg on the side? Savoy cabbage and kale go brilliantly. Or you could add a handful or two of baby spinach to the pan just before you serve. The leaves will take just a couple of minutes to wilt down in the heat then it will be easy to stir them in.
If I’m serving this at weekend, I like to leave out the sweet potato and serve the tagine with my Warm Giant Couscous Salad and the Preserved Lemon Yogurt that I serve with my Moroccan Chickpea Tagine as it makes the dish feel a bit more special.

Wanting a starter or dessert to serve with this?
Why not try my Hot-Smoked Salmon and Prawn Terrine or my Asian Prawn Salad and end with my Mini Blood Orange Curd Tarts or simply some Cinnamon Oranges with a little whipped cream spiked with some orange liqueur on the side.

One Pan Chicken Tagine
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 onion (halved and thinly sliced)
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 chicken breasts (See recipe notes)
- 500 ml (2 cups) stock (See recipe notes)
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 70 g (⅓ cup) dried apricots, halved
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (scrubbed and cut into 2cm (¾ inch) cubes)
- 65 g (½ cup) green or black olives
- 1 tablespoon corn flour
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped (chopped – optional)
Instructions
- Put the oil and onion into a wide based pan and cook, lid on, over a low heat until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the spices, stir and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add the chicken breasts, stock, tomato puree and dried apricots. Simmer over a low heat.
- Put the sweet potato cubes into a large, microwave proof bowl, place in the microwave, and turn on to full power. Cook for 5 minutes then stir the cubes. Cook a further 5 minutes then stir again, check, and cook for a further 5 minutes if necessary.
- When the chicken has been cooking for 20 minutes, remove it from the pan and, using two forks, shred each chicken breast into six or seven pieces. Check that it is cooked through. Return to the pan, add the sweet potato cubes and olives and simmer for a further few minutes.
- Mix the corn flour with the same amount of water and add to the tagine, stirring constantly until thickened. Season to taste then stir in the parley if using.
- I like to serve this with spinach, but I like to serve spinach with pretty much everything! Savoy cabbage or kale would also go brilliantly.
Notes
- If cooking vegetarian, add three tins of chickpeas instead of the chicken.
- If cooking paleo don’t use chickpeas as no pulses are considered paleo.
- Remember to check that the stock is gluten free if necessary.
- I use chicken stock but use vegetable stock if cooking vegetarian.
Nutrition
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Thank you very much. This dish looks awesome. I hope I could try this dish. I will try your recipe to make this dish for my family and my friends. I think they will love it. I hope you create more recipes like this. Thanks
I absolutely love the look of your tagine Anna, all the colours and flavours! Great serving suggestions for weekend vs weekday ( love the sound of your Preserved Lemon Yogurt!). You did make me giggle with your cinnamon in savoury foods story… Definitely use sparingly lol. 😉 x
:)Thanks Jo. I love a simple recipe that can easily be spruced up!
Hi Anna,
This looks a completely new Chicken recipe for me. And hope this will be yummy and I’m going to take the taste soon.
Thanks for the awesome recipe.
You’re welcome x