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Tagine of Chicken with Prunes and Almonds

A Moroccan-style chicken tagine cooked with prunes, almonds, and aromatic spices.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Cinnamon and ginger match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,380 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Tagine of Chicken with Prunes and Almonds

Oven350°F

Ingredients

Directions

Brown the chicken

  1. Heat the margarine or oil in a very large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

  2. Saute the onion until it is tender but not browned.

  3. Add the chicken to the skillet and lightly brown it on all sides.

  4. Mix the water with the cinnamon, ginger, pepper, and salt, and pour it over the browned chicken.

  5. Bring the liquid to a boil.

Simmer with prunes

  1. Cover the skillet tightly, lower the heat, and simmer the chicken for 30 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally.

  2. Add the prunes and honey (if used) to the skillet, evenly distributing the prunes around the chicken and ensuring they are covered with liquid.

  3. Cover the skillet again and simmer the chicken and prunes together for about 20 minutes, or until both are very tender.

  4. If the sauce becomes too dry and begins to stick to the bottom of the skillet, stir in additional water as needed.

Toast and serve

  1. Toast the almonds by spreading them in a jelly roll or similar pan and heating them in a 350°F oven, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

  2. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a large serving platter.

  3. Stir about half the almonds into the prune sauce remaining in the pot, then spoon the sauce mixture over the chicken.

  4. Garnish the top with the remaining almonds.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

564Calories
33 gProtein
29 gFat
44 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 13 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Honey1 tbsp (21g)64
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Almond1 almond (1.2g)7
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0
Prunenot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,380 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Cinnamon + almondtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,514 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  3. Onion + chickentop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,814 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

  4. Ginger + peppertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,800 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Onion + gingertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together7,595 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chicken pieces
Provide the main protein, which becomes tender as it simmers slowly in the covered skillet.
Prunes
Add natural sweetness and a soft, jammy texture while thickening the sauce as they cook.
Onion
Builds a savory base of flavor and sweetness when softened in the fat before the liquid is added.
Almonds
Add crunch and a nutty, toasted aroma that contrasts with the soft chicken and prunes.
Ground cinnamon
Contributes warm, aromatic spice flavor to the simmering sauce.

The step that matters

Keep the simmer covered and the sauce moist. Simmering gently under a tight lid keeps the meat tender and the liquid from evaporating too fast. If the sauce dries out, it can scorch on the bottom of the pan, so adding water as needed protects the flavor and texture.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, honey, almond):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Sweet potatofits better
  3. Carrotfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, honey, almond. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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