Moroccan Chicken and Chickpea Tagine Bake

Succulent chicken thighs baked with basmati rice, chickpeas, sweet butternut squash, warm North African spices, and golden raisins.

• Prep: 20 min
• Cook: 45 min
• Total: 1 hr 5 min
• Servings: 6
• Cuisine: Moroccan
• Difficulty: Easy

Dietary

• Gluten-Free
• Dairy-Free
• Egg-Free
• Nut-Free
• High-Protein
• Low-Fat
• Low-Saturated-Fat

Tags

• bake
• comfort food
• special occasion
• sweet
• smoky

Ingredients

• 2 pound chicken thighs (boneless, skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces)
• 2 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 red onion (medium, diced)
• 4 clove garlic (minced)
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (peeled and minced)
• 1.5 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 0.5 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1.5 teaspoon salt
• 0.5 teaspoon black pepper (ground)
• 3 cup butternut squash (peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
• 1 can canned chickpeas (15 oz, rinsed and drained)
• 1.5 cup basmati rice (uncooked)
• 3 cup chicken broth
• 0.5 cup golden raisins
• 0.25 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thigh pieces with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper. Sear for 4 minutes until lightly browned on the exterior, then transfer to a plate.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of avocado oil to the skillet over medium heat. Sauté the red onion, minced garlic, and minced fresh ginger for 3 minutes until softened. Stir in the ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground cinnamon, ground turmeric, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper for 1 minute until fragrant.
4. In the baking dish, spread the uncooked basmati rice across the bottom. Scatter the seared chicken pieces, cubed butternut squash, canned chickpeas, and golden raisins evenly over the rice. Pour the warm spiced onion mixture and chicken broth over everything, stirring gently to submerge the rice.
5. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil to lock in steam. Bake at 375°F for 40 minutes until the rice and butternut squash are tender and the chicken registers at least 165°F.
6. Remove from oven, let rest covered for 5 minutes, then fluff gently with a fork and sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro if desired.

Notes

Cutting the butternut squash into uniform half-inch cubes ensures it cooks to fork-tender perfection right alongside the basmati rice.

Nutrition (per serving)

• Calories: 579
• Protein: 41.2 g
• Carbohydrates: 75.2 g
• Fat: 14.6 g
• Fiber: 7.7 g
• Sodium: 1554 mg
• Saturated Fat: 2.7 g
• Sugar: 15.2 g
• Cholesterol: 128 mg