Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine With Butternut Squash
- Total Time
- 4½ to 6½ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 1medium-small (2 to 2½ pound) butternut squash, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 3-inch-by-1-inch wedges
- 8pitted dates, such as Medjool, halved
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1(1-inch) cinnamon stick
- 2teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1½teaspoons turmeric
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- ½teaspoon hot smoked paprika
- ½teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2tablespoons canola oil
- 3½ to 4pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 8 thighs)
- 1large red onion, finely chopped
- ¼cup minced ginger (from about a 4-inch piece peeled ginger)
- 6large garlic cloves, chopped
- ¼cup lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon), plus more to taste
- Leaves of 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 4scallions, thinly sliced
- Cooked couscous or pita for serving (optional)
- Plain yogurt, for topping (optional)
- Toasted almonds, for topping (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
822 calories; 48 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 21 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 53 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 25 grams sugars; 47 grams protein; 1109 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Put the squash and dates into a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Season generously with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon stick, sweet paprika, turmeric, cumin, hot smoked paprika, ground ginger, cloves and cayenne and set aside.
- Step 2
Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken dry and season it generously with salt. Working in two batches, put the chicken in the skillet skin side down and cook without moving it until the skin is deeply golden, crisp, and releases fairly easily from the bottom of the pan, about 5 to 8 minutes per batch. (You need to brown only the skin side.) Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker, nestling the thighs skin side up and in one crowded layer on top of the squash.
- Step 3
Decrease the stovetop heat to medium. If there is a lot of rendered fat in the pan, pour off all but a thin layer to cover the entire bottom of the skillet. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the reserved spices and stir well for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is a uniform brick red. Add the lemon juice, stir well to incorporate the browned bits, then scrape the mixture over the top of the chicken, making sure to include any spice-stained oil that remains.
- Step 4
Cook on low until the squash and chicken are very tender and the flavors are mellow, at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours. If it’s more convenient, you can let the slow cooker switch to warm after 6 hours. The dish will hold on warm for another 2 hours before the chicken starts to dry out. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Add lemon juice and salt to taste and fold in the chopped parsley and scallions. Serve with couscous or pita, topped with yogurt and toasted almonds, if desired.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Neal
Chicken without skin, yams instead of squash and raisins instead of dates. This is like reading an article recommending a river cruise in Prague, and commenting that you took a train to Budapest and it wasn't that great....
Pliflander
I converted to instant pot by adding a cup of chicken broth and cooking on high pressure for 40 minutes. It was delicious!
TLG
Used the spice mix from Daniel Boulud’s Chicken Tagine (Sam Sifton) recipe bc I had some leftover from making that recipe. I like this recipe much more than Boulud’s, but I do like his spice mix. Here are the equivalents to make it for this recipe (basically, it is a quarter of all the ingredients): 1 T sweet paprika 1/4 t garlic powder 1/2 t cinnamon 2 1/4 t coriander 1 t turmeric 3/4 t ginger powder 1/8 t cardamom 1/4 1/8 t allspice I used the whole cinnamon stick too.
Barbara Wheeler
This is rich and excellent. Modified for conventional oven: Cooked in an enameled casserole. Browned the chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on), then removed and sauteed the onion, ginger, garlic, added the spices, spread the squash and dates over the mixture and arranged the thighs, skin up, on top. Added a cup of chicken broth, brought to a simmer, and then baked covered at a low heat (about 300 for several hours). At the end ran under the broiler to recrisp the chicken skin. Added lemon at the end
robin
Tasty dish. Skip the browning, remove the skin. Use prunes instead of dates.
Nanoo52
Made this on the stove in dutch oven after browning chicken and aromatics in skillet. Used boneless thighs, deglazed with chicken broth and splash white wine then added more to pot to keep it moist. Altogether cooked ~60 minutes on low heat using the smallest burner, then put it in the fridge overnight. Added the lemon juice and parsley at the end, after reheating today. Next time, will cook 20 mins longer to get the squash tender. Chicken was moist and flavorful.
Chelsea Hodge
Very tasty. The chicken came out super tender and the flavors were delicious. I was worried at first about the lack of a liquid for everything to good in, but by the end of the 4 hours there was plenty of liquid. Also, this worked just fine in a 5 quart crockpot (so don't despair if that's all you have!)
Joan
This was fantastic. I made per the recipe, but next time would layer some of the spices on top of the squash so they get absorbed by the squash more, and add some to the pan when cooking the chicken as per other readers' suggestions. The yogurt was key for us, especially after forgetting the parsley--it added a great contrast to the spices. A perfect dish for a winter night,
Sage
I can't eat cayenne or hot spices so I left that and the hot paprika out and loaded up on the other seasonings. I agree it would probably be even better by browning the chicken in the aromatics to begin with and then deglazing with some broth. But otherwise, pretty darn tasty and much better the second day! Definitely recommend serving it a day after the flavors have had time to meld.
Jenna
Like others, I start this on the stove in a le creuset pan with lid. First, I brown the chicken. I remove the browned chicken from the pan and add onion and spices. After 5-7 minutes, I add back the chicken, figs or dates, sweet potato or winter squash, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup wine. I stick it in the oven (with lid) for an hour and viola — delish! To make it more week-night friendly, I usually use “Spicely Ras el Hanout Seasoning” instead of measuring out the recommended spices.
Malvina
Can I please have instruction to make this dish in the oven ? Time ? Temperature ?
Me
ayer some of the spices on top of the squash so they get absorbed by the squash more, and add some to the pan when cooking the chicken. have an Instant Pot, I gave it a starter boost of 5 minutes of pressure cook and then slow-cooked for 3 1/2 hours. converted to instant pot by adding a cup of chicken broth and cooking on high pressure for 40 minutes. Served over whole wheat couscous and topped with toasted almonds and fresh mint.
Atticus
Prep takes quite a while. Don't be afraid to brown the chicken for 8+ min. Seriously worth the time & effort, absolutely amazing.
jmkarohl
Heavy dutch oven in a slow oven is a good alternative.
Holly
This was a wonderful dish. Just the right amount of spice which meant it was fragrant, a little hot, but let all the flavors of the chicken and squash shine through. While unable to shop due to Covid 19 I improvised slightly with what was on hand. Used boneless, skinless chicken thighs yet I still browned them in a cast iron skillet. No dates so I subbed golden raisins. I found I really needed to add 1/3 cup of chicken stock during the last 1/2 hour on warm. Toasted almonds & yogurt are a must!
Carly
I made this with boneless skinless breasts and thighs, it worked great. Also did ras al hanout spicw blend instead of individual spices. Next time be sure to finely mince the ginger.
Katherine
Yum, this is great. My family liked it but I wish I got some yogurt to accompany, as suggested. I did toast some blanched almonds and added couscous and parsley, but the yogurt would’ve been a great contrast. None of us like butternut squash, so I used sweet potatoes and just 6 dates to make sure it wasn’t too sweet. I can see why some people added olives — that boost of salt would probably go well.
Malamia
I set the slow cooker to 6 hours and returned to find this dish a mushy mess. It was still delicious, but it made an almost insurmountable mountain of leftovers. Maybe because it was mushy, it was not as appetizing as leftovers. Not sure if I'll make it again, partly because my 11 year old hated it, but if i did i would set the slow cooker to 4 hours and remain nearby to ensure it doesn't fall apart to the extent that it did.
Posey
Made this exactly as written except used 1/8 tsp cayenne instead of 1/4 (and it was still spicy enough for most people.) Everyone LOVED it - a huge crowd pleaser. Will make again
Laurel W
Too sweet, with nothing to balance it out. Adding a lot of harissa at the table helped somewhat.
SoCal
Fabulous dish! Made just a few changes due to dietary needs: skinless chicken (and I find no flavor benefit to leaving bones in), but still browned, was out of fresh garlic so added tons of powdered & forgot to purchase ginger but I always have it in a tube, so used that (it’s SO much easier). For a slow cooker it took a lot of stovetop cooking prep time prior to dumping it all in the cooker! Stirred in cornstarch & water to thicken 30 mins prior to serving.
Kathy Cville
Absolutely delicious! Using a Dutch oven, I cooked on stove and finished in oven. I was concerned recipe didn’t ask for any liquid, so I added 1c chicken broth. Turned out, i probably didn’t need to add any extra liquid. Served with couscous and pita
Gary
I followed the recipe exactly and was delighted with the results. I would happily make it exactly the same way again!
adjustments for instant pot
Made in instant pot slow cooker mode (with slow cook lid) on medium. Cooked for 4.5 hours, not done at all. Next time try high and longer cook time
Rebecca Simons
This was delicious and our guests enjoyed it. Left out cayenne and added one extra date. However, 4 hours on low would not have cooked this completely (with 9 good-sized bone-in thighs). I ended up doing 2.5 hours on low and 2.5 hours on high, which worked well. I did gently move things around a couple times to distribute flavors.
Pamela
This did not turn out well at all for me. The sweet potatoes ( I did not have squash) did not cook enough even after 11 hours and long after I had taken out the chicken. I didn’t think the sauce was very good, and I have cooked a lot of Moroccan food.
Tamara
Thought the turmeric was strong/too much. Dates didn’t bring enough sweetness to the flavor combination. Will make again adding raisins or dried apricots as I’ve had in traditional tagine in Morroco.
Yumang
I skipped the oil & fried the chicken in its own fat from the skin and removed it with some butter. I also used a 4.5 quart slow cooker and it came out fine, but I only used 5 thighs. I was nervous about the lack of liquid, but there was plenty of liquid after 4 hours on low! Chicken fell off the bone, and it was delicious!
rmhk
Made this and added cannellini beans. Excellent flavor. Browned the thighs. Thanks.
Ngrimmick
I had to sub dates w raisins b/c I can’t have dates. I used sweet potatoes instead of squash b/c I didn’t have squash. Other than that, I used the exact amount of spices called for except I cut back a little on cayenne. Even so, this dish was a bit too hot for me, though the yogurt was very creamy and cooled it down a bit. If I make this again, I’ll leave the cayenne out all together.
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
