For the past few weeks I have been harvesting quite a bit of zucchini from our garden. Let me tell you it was a battle to grow these zucchini! First we were fighting off deer. We put up a fence. Then came rabbits. We had to add a layer of chicken wiring to keep those critters away. Now we have mole problem. I think we have called truce with the mole.

Anyway, I had to think about a creative way to use those beautiful zucchinis. The first thought I had was to roast them, saute them, or make them into sweet bread or muffins. That sounded too classic and traditional to me so I decided to make Chicken Tagine.

Tagine is a North African dish that is traditionally cooked in a earthenware pot. The dish can be made with any type of meat, fish, or vegetables. It is stewed in spices, olives, lime, or preserved lemons. The dish is then served with couscous, rice, or bread.

Below I will show you how to make Chicken Tagine. However, I don’t have the earthenware so I decided to use a wide mouth heavy bottom saucepan. I am using carrots and zucchini to add more nutrition. The result of this dish was wonderful, and reminds me of milder version of chicken curry with vegetables. So if you think that curries are too spicy, you might like Chicken Tagine.

Ingredients

• 1.6 lbs or 5 piece chicken drumsticks with a few shallow slits in each
• 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
• 3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp harissa paste
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black ground pepper
• 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup each yellow and green zucchini cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/3 cup green pitted olives
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Mix turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. Take 1/4 of the dry spice mixture and sprinkle it over the chicken. Rub it in well to mix. Set aside.

Heat ghee in a large heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat. Brown the chicken pieces until lightly browned on all sides for 8-10 minutes. Remove chicken pieces from the pan to a plate. Set aside.

Cook onion and garlic till lightly brown. Turn down the heat to medium-low. Add the harissa paste and the remaining dry spices to the pan. Stir well and cook for 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes to the pan. Stir well. Cook till the tomatoes are soft for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

Add two cups of water. Scrape down all the brown bits from the side and bottom of the pan. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices back in the pan and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the carrots. Stir and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the zucchini and stir gently. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Add in the olives. Stir, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Add lime juice, parsley, and cilantro. Stir gently—trying not to break the chicken pieces, and taste for seasoning. You can remove the chicken skin at this point if you like.

Serves 5

Did you make this dish? I’d love to know how it turns out! Feel free to like this post and comment or use the hashtag #globaldinein on Instagram. If you would to be notified of upcoming posts, please consider subscribing to my blog!