Lemon Garlic Chicken with Artichokes and Orzo

Tagine Lemon Garlic Chicken with Artichokes and Orzo

 

You don't need a tagine to prepare this dish, but it doesn't hurt. Tagines are extremely versatile and visually stunning. If you don't own a tagine, you can use a dutch oven or even a slow cooker for this recipe.

 The word Tagine (or tajine) is used to describe both the dish and the vessel. It originated in Northern Africa and is basically the grandmother of your slow cooker. Steam rises to the funnel portion of the vessel and is directed back down into the food, which keeps it moist and tenderizes tough cuts of meat. Tagines were traditionally used over coals and some can be used either on the stove top or in the oven, like the one I have from Le Creuset. Bonus points for versatility.*Note: please be careful if you have a tagine that is not Le Creuset because the cooking instructions may not work for an unglazed earthenware tagine or other types. You can adjust to your tagine style. 

What you'll need: 

*Package of boneless chicken thighs - seasoned generously with salt and pepper
*Bone broth (or chicken broth)
*Can or jar of artichoke hearts
*White onion - chopped
*Garlic - minced 6-8 cloves
*Orzo (I used the whole package. It was a lot, but it was really delicious)
*2 lemons. One sliced, one juiced
*1/2 cup of white wine
*Fresh spinach
*Olive Oil
*Italian seasonings
*Salt and Pepper


Heat the bottom of the cast iron tagine (or dutch oven) on the stovetop to medium/high and add a little olive oil. Brown the chicken thighs a little on each side. Just a few minutes will do it. They don't have to be done all the way through at this point. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Deglaze the pan. Pour the 1/2 cup of wine in the pan and stir, scraping any brown bits of goodness with a wooden spoon.

 

 



Add a little more olive oil if needed and saute the chopped onion until it starts to turn translucent. 










 


Next, add the garlic and the orzo and saute for a few minutes. Sauteing the orzo gives it a little bit of texture and toastiness. 












Reduce heat to the lowest possible stove setting. 

Next, add the juice of one lemon and enough bone broth to get the orzo wet, but not too much. Remember that cooking in a tagine is like a slow cooker in that there will not be a lot of moisture evaporation, so go easy on the liquid. You can always add a little later, if needed. Stir in the artichoke hearts and add a very generous amount of Italian seasoning and salt/pepper. If you are using a dutch oven, you'll need to add more liquid than if you are preparing the dish in a tagine. 

Add enough liquid, but not too much

If you are using a slow cooker, transfer the rice mixture to the slow cooker and then add the chicken, seasoning, lemon, spinach as directed below. You will have to cook this longer in a slow cooker.

 Place the chicken on top of the orzo mixture. Sprinkle with more Italian seasoning. Lay lemon slices on top of the chicken and then place the spinach on top of the entire dish. You can add more spinach than I did or you can add additional veggies.
  

At this point, if you are using a dutch oven instead of a tagine, I would transfer the dish to the oven at 375, uncovered, and cook until the chicken is done and the orzo is tender. 

Place the lid on your tagine and cook on low on the stovetop, checking after about 10 minutes to make sure that it is at a very low simmer. I cooked this dish for about 30 minutes and added a little bit more broth about halfway through. The chicken was very tender and delicious. It was the perfect meal for a cold Sunday night and my best friend was visiting, which made it even better. It was a lot of orzo since I used the entire bag, but sometimes it's fun to carb out and watch a movie on a Sunday night. No one complained and it all disappeared.

There are a lot of variations and options to this basic dish. Substitute quinoa or brown rice for the chicken. Use whatever veggies you have on hand or love. Broccoli, zucchini, red peppers. Or go more 'Mediterranean' and add some olives and serve with pita bread and hummus. 

The tagine is a versatile and beautiful addition to your kitchen and well worth the investment.  I chose the Flame color because I thought it looked like a volcano. Next, I'm going to try my 'Lazy Girl Ribs' in the tagine, although I usually make those in the slow cooker. Also, check out my recipe for Moroccan Brisket and Veggie made in a tagine. It's fantastic.