Moroccan · Main course
Souss Argan Chicken Tagine
From the Souss plains around Taroudant and Agadir, the heartland of the argan tree, comes this golden chicken tagine finished with nutty roasted argan oil and a spoon of amlou-style almond paste. The oil is added off the heat so its distinctive toasted flavour survives, giving a sauce that is silky, faintly sweet and unmistakably Amazigh.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 80 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Medium
Ingredients
- 1 chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
- 2 onions, finely grated
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- Generous pinch of saffron threads, bloomed in warm water
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 3 tbsp olive oil for cooking
- 3 tbsp culinary (roasted) argan oil, for finishing
- 50 g almonds, toasted and roughly ground
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 bunch coriander, tied
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- 1
Marinate
Rub the chicken with grated onion, garlic, ginger, saffron water, salt and pepper and rest 20 minutes.
- 2
Start the braise
Warm the olive oil in the tagine, add the chicken and its marinade with the herb bundle and 200 ml water, cover and cook gently.
- 3
Cook through
Braise for about 45 minutes, turning the pieces once, until the chicken is tender and the onions have reduced to a thick base.
- 4
Build the argan finish
Lift out the chicken, stir the ground almonds and honey into the sauce and simmer 5 minutes to thicken, then remove from the heat.
- 5
Finish with argan
Stir the argan oil into the warm (not boiling) sauce off the heat, return the chicken to coat, scatter with coriander and serve.
Chef's tips
- Only ever add argan oil off the heat — boiling destroys its delicate roasted-hazelnut character and its health benefits.
- Use culinary argan oil (roasted), not the pale cosmetic kind, which is unroasted and tastes of nothing.
- A little honey balances the almonds and argan without turning the tagine into a sweet dish.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I buy culinary argan oil?
Look for dark-gold, roasted, food-grade argan oil from women's cooperatives in the Souss region; it has a pronounced toasty smell. Cosmetic argan oil is not for cooking.
Is this the same as amlou?
No, but it is related. Amlou is a spread of argan oil, almonds and honey; here those same flavours are used to enrich a savoury chicken sauce.