Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Butternut Squash Chickpeas and Olives
Updated Jul 14, 2021, Published Oct 30, 2018
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Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Butternut Squash, Chickpeas and Olives is a lovely, budget-friendly, low-stress exotic dinner you’ll love coming home to or serving to guests!
“Gosh, we adored this dish tonight. My 93-year-old mother kept going back for more. I made it in the afternoon and set it on high for 4 hours, and it was fabulous. It felt like we took good care of ourselves tonight.”
Hey, friends! It’s that slow-cooker time of year! I’ve got a super-easy and budget-friendly dish you’re going to love! Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Butternut Squash, Chickpeas and Olives!
Now, I’ve clearly got a butternut squash thing happening in my life right now but we have about a bushel of it in our pantry so please stay with me! And who doesn’t love a creative butternut squash recipe?
This Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Butternut Squash, Chickpeas and Olives has got it goin’ on!
What is a tagine?
A tagine sounds exotic but it’s really only the Moroccan version of a slow cooker.
A tagine is both a dish and a cooking vessel. The cooking vessel has a conical shape which is meant to preserve every single drop of precious moisture in a climate with very little moisture. Steam from the dish collects on the sides of the tagine then drops back down to continue the slow cooking process. The same thing happens in a slow cooker!
How to make Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Butternut Squash, Chickpeas and Olives in a slow cooker:
- Start by combining the vegetables, chickpeas and olives at the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Combine the spices in a small bowl and sprinkle half on the chicken thighs.
- Brown the chicken thighs well then place on the vegetables.
- Stir the remaining spice mixture into the vegetable combination.
- Set the slow cooker on High for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours and let it go!
- Add cilantro, place it on a platter, garnish and look like a global culinary superhero! That’s it!
If you add the olives near the end, they’ll keep their beautiful black color. However, I put them in at the beginning and I think they added more flavor to the whole dish.
Mwwaaaah!!!
Be sure to try my other Moroccan-inspired dishes!
- Slow-Cooker Moroccan Turkey and Lentils
- Chicken Marrakesh with Jeweled Couscous
- Moroccan Meatball and Vegetable Ragout
- Mom’s Moroccan Beef Stew
For more great bone-in chicken thigh recipes, check out: 30 Best Bone-In Chicken Thigh Recipes.
Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Butternut Squash Chickpeas and Olives
Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed (1/2-inch cubes — approximately 2 cups)
- 2 large plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (15-ounce) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 chicken thighs, with the skin on the bone
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus sprigs for garnish
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Combine first 8 ingredients in the bottom of a slow cooker.
- Combine coriander, cumin, ginger, turmeric, salt, cinnamon and cayenne in a small bowl.
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet or saute pan. Sprinkle approximately half the spice mixture over the chicken thighs. Stir the remaining spice mixture into the butternut squash/chickpea combination.
- Place chicken thighs in hot oil then brown well 6-8 minutes. Turn over and brown the other side in the hot, spicy fat for another 3-4 minutes.
- Place chicken thighs in the slow cooker and pour any accumulated fat from the skillet into the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours.
- Stir chopped cilantro into butternut squash/chickpea combination.
- Place butternut squash/chickpea combination on a platter, top with chicken and sprinkle with cilantro. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and lemon wedges and serve immediately.
Notes
- Assemble the vegetables, chickpeas and olives in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Brown the chicken thighs and place on top. Refrigerate until you’re ready to cook it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Gosh we adored this dish tonight. My 93 year-old mother kept going back for more. I made it in the afternoon and set it on high for 4 hours and it was fabulous. Felt like we took good care of ourselves tonight. Thank you carol.
Hi, Betty, Thanks so very much and so happy you all enjoyed!! :))
Absolutely outstanding recipe! It reminds me of dishes I have eaten in Cordoba (Andalucia, Spain) which the Moors ruled for 800 years, and consequently much influenced the local cuisine until this day. So delicious! Thanks for sharing this.
Hi, Patricia, Thanks so very much and so happy you love this recipe! I love learning about all the different influences in the various cuisines so thank you for that information. Thanks again!
I made this a couple of days ago. It was a hit! Had to make a couple of substitutions due to laziness to go to the store. Used black instead of Kalamata, boneless/skinless (HUGE) and pulled a few tomatoes off of the vine. Regardless, it went over quite well. I’ve never worked with this combination of spices and the aroma made us anxious for the meal. Served over brown rice.
Hi, Bubba, Thanks so very much and so happy you enjoyed!! You can definitely make substitutions; sounds like you did well. Thanks again!
Oh this recipe looks so good can’t wait to try it. If your using a Tagine is the cooking time the same as a crock pot?
Hi, Donna, Thanks so much for your great question! After all, it IS a tagine. A slow cooker can be considered a modern-day tagine. If you’re doing it on the stovetop which is direct heat, use a diffuser and keep the heat on low. The slow cooker is going to take about four hours on high. The stovetop might only take around two. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!