Crock-pot Chicken Tagine for Crocktober

There are many different brands of slow cooker but the original Crock-pot is still has a certain cachet, if slow cookers have cachet!  I was delighted to be invited by Crock-pot to try out the Crock-pot Countdown Slow Cooker  join them making some recipes for Crocktober over on their Facebook page.

My sister-in-law gave me a jar of preserved lemons that she had made and every time I open the larder I see them there, so it seemed like the ideal opportunity to make a Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons in the Crock-pot.

Crock-pot Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons

Farmersgirl Kitchen

A light fresh Tagine made with chicken, olives and lemons. 

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Servings 4

Calories 576 kcal

Ingredients

 

• 300 g  hot chicken stock
• pinch of saffron
• 6 chicken thighs
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 tsp ras el hanout
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 large preserved lemon two quarters
• 400 g can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 100 g green olives
• 50 g chopped flat leaf parsley
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

 

• Soak the saffron in the hot stock to bring out the colour.
• Heat the oil and brown the  chicken thighs and place in the bottom of the Crock-pot
• Cook the onion until it starts to become transparent.
• Add the garlic, ras el hanout, ginger coriander and cinnamon stick and cook for a minute.
• Add the stock and bring to the boil, add to the Crock-pot and cook on Low for 5 hours.
• Add the chickpeas, the olives and the preserved lemons, roughly chopped.
• Cook on Low for a further 1-2 hours.
• Check the seasoning and adjust to taste.

Notes

If you are not ready to eat, the Crock-pot will keep the Tagine warm for a couple of hours without coming to any harm. Serve with couscous, I added some sultanas to the cous cous and used some of the juices from the Tagine, with some added boiling water, to swell the grains.

Nutrition

Calories: 576kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 35gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 168mgSodium: 913mgPotassium: 690mgFiber: 7gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1300IUVitamin C: 19.1mgCalcium: 108mgIron: 3.9mg

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The Tagine was much lighter than the usual lamb recipe that I make, I missed the sweetness of dried fruit in the dish, which was why I added sultanas to the couscous. I would probably add some dates or apricots if I was making it again.  I would recommend that you don’t add any salt to the dish while cooking as I found that the preserved lemons (preserved in salt or brine) and the olives added enough salt without any additions.

So how did the Crock-pot perform?  

• I really liked the solidity of the Crock-pot, it feels substantial and looks attractive
• The ‘stay warm’ feature is really valuable as you know that if you are a little later getting home, your meal will be kept warm without being over cooked. 
• My other slow cooker has a metal ‘pot’ which can go on the hob, I did miss that but not as much as I thought I would. 
• The electronic timer means that you can be accurate with your timings.
• Best of all for me, the Crock-pot bowl and lid can go in the dishwasher – woo hoo!

If you would like to try to win a Countdown Slow Cooker Crockpot and Crockpot Warmer (I’ll tell you about the Crockpot Warmer in another post) my friend Karen is running a giveaway over at her blog  Lavender and Lovage – Crockpot Slow Cooker and Crockpot Warmer Giveaway ending 9th December 2014.

I’m adding this to my own Slow Cooked Challenge, anyone is welcome to join in with a slowly cooked recipe whether in a slow cooker or by other slow cooking methods.

Thanks to the people at Crock-pot for providing me with this Countdown Slow Cooker Crock-pot, I was not paid for this review and all opinions are my own.