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!
Hi! This was a great hit in my house. Thank you for posting! Very tasty! I think my butternut squash might’ve been too big though. If you guessed how many cups of cubes what would it be?
Hi, Kim, Thanks so much for your awesome question! I would say about 2 cups since it would be a small butternut squash. I’ll revise the recipe. Thanks again so much and glad everyone enjoyed!
Hi! We loved this recipe. I was wondering about the olives. The dish seemed to need a brinier olive than Kalamatas even an unstuffed green olive or castelvetrano. May try one of them going forward. Doesn’t change how easy this recipe is!
Thank you!
Hi, Cindy, Thanks so very much and so glad you enjoyed! I love olives and love your suggestions. You could try adding the olives in at the end, too. Thanks again!
We love Morrocan flavors in my house! I love making them and when I can use the slow cooker, even better! This is such a flavorful dish and you have really showcased the Morracan spices! I love the Progressive Eats that you have put together with some of my favorite food bloggers! Delicious recipes by the best!
Thanks, Eileen! Yes, it’s a fun project each month!
I made this last night and it was sensational, my guests really enjoyed it!!
Thank you for a great recipe
Thanks, Claire! So glad you all enjoyed!
This is such a lovely and comforting dish with all my favorite flavors and proteins. What a great main course – it will be a huge hit in our house.
Moroccan flavors are some of my favorites! I love how this dish sounds and looks. I’m certain that I need a tagine now.
Thanks, Susan!
My husband and I both love Moroccan flavors and this dish will definitely be on my to make list soon! Beautiful photos and a great recipe to try!!
Hi, Jane, Thanks so much and hope you enjoy! It’s so easy and has so much flavor!
This looks like the perfect weeknight meal. So flavorful and healthy, yet simple. I bet I could put together most of it the night before and then enjoy the results (and the smell wafting out of the slow cooker) the next day. Yum!!
Hi, Laura, It’s super easy to pull together the night before. Just get everything assembled and the chicken browned and refrigerate until you want to cook it. That’s it!
Ooooh, This looks amazing. I love that you can make it in the slow cooker. It definitely make me look like a super hero!
Hi, Karen, Thanks so much and it’s super easy!
I love these Middle Eastern flavors! What a marvelous dish for a chilly autumn night!