Quince and Chicken Tajine
For this recipe quinces are cut into eighths so that they cook in the same time as the chicken. As the quinces are cooked quickly they do not turn the beautiful red colour but with the saffron they give the chicken an exotic flavour.
QUINCE LIKE A PEAR/APPLE
Ingredients
- One 4 lb (2 kg) chicken
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsp (25 mL) vegetable oil
- 2 onions, peeled and sliced
- 4 quinces, peeled, cored and cut into eighths
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp (5 mL) ground ginger
- 1 tsp (5 mL) paprika
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) saffron threads
- 2 cups (500 mL) chicken stock
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
Preparation
Step 1
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
2. Cut the chicken into 10 pieces, pat dry, and then season with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat, brown the chicken pieces well on the skin side and sear lightly on the other side. Transfer the chicken to a paper-towel-lined plate.
3. Add the onions and quince to the pan and cook, stirring, until the onions soften and the quinces colour.
4. Add the fresh ginger, garlic, cinnamon stick, ground ginger, paprika, 1 tsp (5 mL) salt and saffron, stirring to mix. Season with black pepper and then add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and deglaze the pan by scraping the browned bits from the bottom and boil for 3 minutes.
5. Place the chicken pieces, onion, quinces and liquid in a 9 x13-inch (23 x 33-cm) baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked and the quinces tender.
6. Sprinkle the chicken with the chopped coriander and serve with couscous.
Serves 4