Colourful, spiced with gentle Moroccan spices and easy to put together, this slow cooker chicken tagine is suited to easy midweek meals and entertaining too! It will go down well with the whole family.
I’m still on a healthy eating drive so this slow cooker chicken tagine is just what I need, served with green vegetables and couscous or rice.
In winter or in summer, these Moroccan inspired flavours add a touch of spice to your mealtime. The chicken is so tender from slow cooking, and the harissa, cumin and cinnamon add a delicately spiced flavour.
Don’t you just love it when dinner looks after itself? That’s the main reason I love to use my slow cooker. Throw in some ingredients and then later on return to a tasty meal, ready to eat.
I like to shred the chicken with a couple of forks before serving, so that the chicken serves more people. You don’t need a whole chicken breast per person when making a stew like this I find. The spices are mild so the whole family will enjoy the dish.
Chickpeas and sweet potato make the dish go further too, you could also add butternut squash if you have any, the butter soft texture and flavour goes well in a tagine also. Adding in the pulses and vegetables is a great way to bulk out your dish so it will fill more tummies.
Garnished with pomegranate seeds, chopped flat-leaf parsley and dried rose petals, these add flavour and colour to the finished tagine, brightening up your plate.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for this recipe and some explanation of the more uncommon ones – for the quantities please check out the recipe card further down the post.
- onion
- red pepper
- sweet potato
- chicken breasts
- tinned chickpeas
- passata (UK passata is equivalent to US tomato puree)
- harissa paste – get this from any supermarket in the specialist ingredients shelf with the herbs and spices. Harissa is a hot chilli paste from North Africa used to add colour and heat. In this recipe it adds a touch of heat.
- ground cumin – enhances the savoury flavour with a touch of pepperiness and smokiness.
- cinnamon – adds its sweet spicy flavour to the dish.
- pomegranate molasses – great to have in the cupboard, a jar will last for ages. This is a traditional ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking and is a thick syrup made from pomegranate juice, which adds sweet and sour to the dish.
- dried rose petals – you can leave these out if you don’t have any, but they add a lovely floral fragrance and are a traditional component of spices mixes like ras el hanout. These can also be found in the cooking ingredients shelf, such as in Waitrose.
- pomegranate seeds – to garnish, they add a pop of flavour and colour
- fresh flat-leaf parsley – to garnish, this also adds flavour and colour
Method
See how to make this recipe step by step.
Gather your ingredients and put them in the slow cooker pot, excluding the garnish.
Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Shred the chicken (pull it apart with two forks) and garnish with pomegranate seeds and flat-leaf parsley, before serving straight from your slow cooker.
Even efore cooking, this dish already looks really warming and rich in your slow cooker pot, giving you an idea of what is to come.
I really think midweek meals needn’t be boring when you can have something like this. Plus you can portion any leftovers up and have them for lunches through the week as well.
Serving suggestions
Traditionally a tagine is served with couscous, which takes only minutes to prepare by pouring over hot water, another time saver which is ideal if you want to eat as soon as you get home.
Rice or pasta will also work too!
It is also great to add more green vegetables on the side.
Variations
- Vary the spice level by increasing or reducing the amount of harissa paste.
- Add in any vegetables you need to use up from the fridge.
- Add in a few chopped dried apricots.
- Leave out the sweet potato and serve with cauliflower rice to reduce the carbs.
Freezing
Yes, you can freeze this recipe but don’t add the garnishes before freezing.
Related
For more slow cooker recipes, check out my Recipe Index, and subscribe here so you don’t miss a post. You can also follow me on Facebook and join my new Facebook group here.
Here are a few of my other slow cooker chicken recipes you might also like:
- chicken saag curry
- chicken pasanda
- chilli and lime chicken
- chicken with Mediterranean roasted vegetables
- chicken thighs with tomatoes and peppers
Pin recipe for later!!
Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potato
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 0.5 red pepper
- 1 sweet potato (250 g approx)
- 3 chicken breasts (500 g approx)
- 400 g chickpeas drained
- 500 g passata
- 2 tsp harissa paste
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp dried rose petals crushed
- 3-4 tbsp pomegranate seeds I used half a pomegranate
- 3-4 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
Equipment
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to the slow cooker pot.1 onion, 0.5 red pepper, 1 sweet potato, 3 chicken breasts, 400 g chickpeas, 500 g passata, 2 tsp harissa paste, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses, salt and pepper, to taste
- Mix gently to combine the sauce ingredients.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours.
- Garnish with the dried rose petals, pomegranate seeds and flat-leaf parsley, and serve with couscous or rice.1 tsp dried rose petals, 3-4 tbsp pomegranate seeds, 3-4 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley
Jan Bennett says
Love how colourful this is!
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Jan ! Needed it to brighten up these dingy days
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says
I love using my slow cooker. I’ve never made a tagine in it yet though. Will have to give it a go!
bakingqueen74 says
Great
Alan Yates says
Can you advise what these ingredients are please or what I could use in there place – passata and harissa paste
Cheers
Alan
bakingqueen74 says
Hi Alan, passata is available in the supermarket and is sieved tomatoes. You could use a tin of chopped tomatoes instead but it would have a different consistency. Harissa paste is also available in supermarkets, if you omit it you would lose part of the flavour so best to use it if possible and not replace. Hope that helps!
patisseriemakesperfect says
I love my slow cooker Lucy and this looks amazing. You’re so right, it’s great the way it looks after itself. Such a delicious dish.
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Angela, it was so tasty
the foodie couple says
I’ve never really tried making tagine with chicken but this looks so tasty!!
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Roz, it really brightened up my day