Spiced Chicken Tagine

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp ‏Olive oil
• 1.6 kg ‏Skinless chicken thigh cutlets
• 2 ‏Medium brown onions, chopped
• 4 ‏Medium carrots, halved lengthways, cut into 4 cm pieces
• 4 ‏Garlic cloves, crushed
• 6 cm piece ‏Fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated
• 1 tbsp ‏Ground cumin
• 2 tsp ‏Ground coriander
• 1 tsp ‏Ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ‏Ground turmeric
• 3 cups ‏Chicken stock
• 3/4 cup ‏Pearl couscous
• 4 x 8 cm strips ‏Lemon rind
• 1/2 cup ‏Pitted Sicilian olives
• 420 grams ‏Can chickpeas, drained, rinsed

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Heat oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, in batches, for 3 minute each side or until browned. Transfer to a 6 cm-deep, 3.8 litre-capacity baking dish.
2. Add onion. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add carrot. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and turmeric. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
4. Add stock. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat.
5. Add couscous and lemon rind to chicken in baking dish. Carefully pour stock mixture over chicken in dish. Cover tightly with foil.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through, adding olives and chickpeas in the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Remove and discard lemon rind.
7. Season with pepper. Serve.