UPDATE: Our tagine winner is Erica who said if she won she’d invite her inlaws… “maybe this will win them over..;). ” With your personality we’re certain you’ve already impressed them, Erica, but we’d love to hear how they like your tagine dinner! I’m a no-nonsense cook. Don’t try to sell me a special pot if the one in my kitchen does the job just fine. That was my attitude before testing the Le Creuset tagine a few weeks ago. Did I really need a tagine when my Le Creuset Dutch oven made perfectly good stew? Without a side-by-side test, how would I know? I started by looking for a simple recipe with readily available ingredients that would appeal to regular home cooks and would best test the tagine. I settled on Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds from Epicurious, subbing in boneless, skinless chicken thighs for chicken parts. I made two identical stews—one in my well-loved 5 1/2 quart Le Creuset Dutch oven of twenty years, the other in the Le Creuset tagine. The shiny new pot naturally captured my interest more during the cooking process. Yes, I could remove the lid without a potholder. Yes, the cone-shaped lid did seem to promote the return of all the condensation to the stew. Still, both stews simmered away happily, fragrantly. There appeared to be very little difference between them. 
As an aside, there were two steps I loved in this recipe. One was the use of whole herbs. At first the practical cook in me questioned whether a bouquet garni of cilantro and parsley sprigs would really flavor the dish. Why not just throw in a handful of chopped fresh at the end? And then there was the separate step of stewing apricots with cinnamon sticks, honey, and water. Wouldn’t adding the apricots directly into the stew along with little ground cinnamon be just as good? In fact, the bouquet garni flavored the stew subtly but beautifully and stewing the apricots separately with cinnamon sticks rather than tossing them directly into the stew was far superior. 
Thirty minutes later, it was time to taste. Without a comparison, I would have thought chicken tagine cooked in the Dutch oven was perfectly fine. The chicken thighs were tender, the spices bold, the juices flavorful. But there was complete agreement among all the tasters that the chicken cooked in the tagine was even more tender, the juices richer, and the spices more integrated. Is the tagine my new go-to pot? Not exclusively. In the future I’ll continue to use my beloved Dutch oven for big pots of traditional stew, but when I want to make a small exquisitely flavored spicy stew, I’ll reaching for the new “other pot” in my kitchen. 
Thanks to Le Creuset, we’re doing a tagine giveaway. Just tell us who you’d invite for dinner at your next tagine dinner! Be creative—your guest(s) could be fantasy, fictional, family, or friend. I was about to say I’d invite George Clooney and Meryl Streep, but since it was the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s death a few days ago, I’d like for him to see just how much progress we’ve made and how much American cuisine has evolved. Contest ends at 9 PM on Sunday, April 29th. We’ll announce the winner the next morning.
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 2-inch pieces cinnamon stick
- ¾ cup dried Turkish apricots, separated into halves
- 1½ teaspoons each: ground cinnamon and ginger
- ¾ teaspoon each: turmeric and ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
- 3 tablespoons, plus ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 large red onion, halved, then sliced ¼ inch thick
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 fresh sprigs each: cilantro and flat-leaf parsley tied together with kitchen twine
- ½ cup slivered blanched almonds
- Bring honey, 1 cup water, cinnamon sticks, and apricots to a boil over medium-high heat in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until apricots are tender and liquid is reduced to a glaze 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, pepper, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat; set aside.
- Heat butter and another tablespoon oil in base of tagine (or deep skillet or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding sauté chicken, turning only once, until impressively brown, 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
- Add onion to empty tagine and sauté until soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add herb bundle to tagine along with ¾ cup water, and chicken. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until juices are rich and chicken is tender, about 30 minutes, adding apricots the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Heat remaining ¼ cup oil in a small skillet over medium heat; fry almonds, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Discard herbs and cinnamon sticks. Sprinkle chicken with almonds and serve.
I would have all my mom friends come over for a LONG dinner full of good food and wine. Sans kids. I know that sounds harsh but we all need a break, right??
I’d invite everyone that was there the night of my sister’s college graduation dinner for a repeat of that meal, which was also the one and only time I’ve seen my husband belly-dance!
I’d like to have my Mom and Dad back for one more dinner. You never know how much you’ll miss them till their gone. I’d like my Dad to meet his last grandaughter and my Mom to see that I have turned out allright.
I would invite my lovely daughters and charming son- in- law to join my husband and me for dinner.
How about Alice, Mad Hatter, and the rest of the gang? Mad tagine party 😉
Being that I am a sailor stationed on the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT, he would have to be my pick for a dinner date. Would love to talk about National Parks.
I would love to ask my children and their families to come for dinner. We have all scattered to different states therefore making it difficult to all get together at the same time.
I would invite our tour guide, Namik, from our recent trip to Turkey. We had fabulous food that I would like to recreate and Namik has never been to the US.
As lame as it sounds, I would envite my ENTIRE family. We live in the middle of the country and everyone is spread out all of the US. It would be lovely [and wild and chaotic] to have everyone under one roof. It has never happened before and probably will never happen but it would be nice just once.
I’d have dinner with both of my grandfathers, a long dinner. I would like the conversation to be recorded so that I would have some of their stories, in their words and voices, to keep somewhere other than my memory 🙂
My Father who passed away almost 20 years ago. It would be nice to show him what a decent cook I have become.
Definitely a dinner for the owners of the company that just downsized me. “Living well is the best revenge.”
I would have a reunion with a group of friends from my time in France. We always went out for tagines and I miss them, the conversation, and the food so much.
I would invite my dad – he died 10 years ago (when my kids were 4 and nearly 1) and I’d like to re-introduce him to his grandchildren. He’d be so proud of how they’re growing up. Plus, he was such a steak/baked potato/caesar salad kind of guy, that I’l love to make a flavourful tagine for him and tell him that this is the way that everyone eats now!
I would invite my two Grandmas. I would love to hear stories of their lives growing up in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, and how they managed as young wives and mothers. They were simple women though, and I imagine a tagine would be a little too exotic for them still… it would be nice to cook something special for them.
My whole family – sisters, husbands, kids, in-laws, all of our kids and spouses – a full house is the best !!
My parents and grandparents – how could I have not spent even more time talking to them?
my le creuset tagine has been the best impulse buy in cookware in the last six months Love it
hillary clinton…would love her take on dutch oven v. tagine 🙂
my remaining family: always fun when together and lasting memeories:)
My inlaws… maybe this will win them over..;)
my family, my friends, and julia child 🙂
I would have dinner with my daughter, She has been traveling for the last few years, experiencing different cultures– and foods. She has taught me of new dishes, recipes, spices and seasonings, and I know the conversation would be so much fun, as always.
I would have dinner with my two daughters 20 years from now. They will be 27 years old (they are twins). I would love to know who they are, what their lives will look like, what they will be doing. Every time I watch your videos with the three of you, I cry. I love the idea of a mom and her two daughters laughing and cooking together. It is my greatest hope for me and my daughters to have that kind of closeness. Seven is a tough age as it is full of sassy behavior and pushing the boundaries I so firmly set. Thanks to you all for giving me hope for great relationships with my daughters!
I would invite Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda.
I would have my 6 best foodie friends. Not very imaginative but I would rather eat with them than anyone else.
I’d invite my grandfather who passed when I was 9 years old. I’ve been thinking about him lately and all the things I wish I could have learned from him. Like, the secrets and special touches required to grow that beautiful one acre plot of different veges..
I would have my mom, dad and brother together for a good old fashion family dinner like I had growing up. With mom and dad seperated and my brother living 2,000 miles away, this does seem a fiction!
I would love to have the Bible character Job for dinner. I would like to sit down and talk to him about how he went through looking out the window and seeing ten new graves of his children. He never blamed God for the tragedies in his life. He is an outstanding man to me.
I would have my parents over for dinner. They live in a different state than I do and I miss them tons.
I would invite the 4 couples that we get together with every month to share a meal with. We all provide something to the meal and I often use your recipes as they are always a big hit!
I’d have all my children home for dinner. They are growing up and moving away… Wow, their childhood went by in a flash!
Robert Downey, Jr. and Trader Joe.
I would have my kids over for our regular Sunday night dinners
The Obamas.
I would invite my paternal grandmother. She lost her battle with breast cancer when I was just 4 years old, and she was only 52. I missed a lifetime of knowing her, and I would give anything to share a meal with her today,
You, Pam!!! 🙂
Definitely our friends the Antons. They love to try new foods just like my husband and me. We’d have so much fun!
Paula Wolfert has always been so kind answering questions that I have had over the years. I would like to return the favor and invite her to dinner.
I’d invite my brother and sister-in-law because they are world travelers and foodies and would enjoy this recipe and I don’t get to see them often enough.
My father-in-law. He’s always ready to try new food, and I think he’d really enjoy your recipe!
I would invite my good college friends from Germany. We try to have reunions from time to time and this would be a fun one.
I’d invite my mom, dad, and nana, all of whom have passed away many years ago. But I think they’d really enjoy meeting my son’s wife and two children. We could all sit down to a wonderful meal together. It brings a smile to my face when I think about what a wonderful evening that would be!
Both my grandmothers. I never met my maternal grandmother as she died when my mother was only 12 years old & my paternal grandmother died 30+ years ago. Would love to share a meal and conversation with both of them.
I think I’d invite Avis DeVoto, Julia Child’s pen-pal ad friend of many years. I’m reading “As Always, Julia,” a book containing letters the two exchanged. Avis was funny, quick witted, loved food, and had strong opinions. I think she’d bring a great bit of sass to any dinner 🙂
I would totally invite all of our friends we have made during out past 18 years in the Army, we are in Germany for the second time and were stationed in Korea for 2 years before that, we lived pretty much all over the U.S and each time we moved I met incredible people who became huge parts of our lifes.
I would get my friends and there kids together and cook them each there favorite dish, as they have giving me so much over the years, with my husband being gone constantly, that they will always be in my heart and welcome at my dinnertable.
My best friend and her family. They live 4000 miles away and I know they’ll never be able to come visit 🙁
I’d invite Condoleezza Rice. What an amazing woman!
It would be a pretty darn big group, but I would want to have my children and their significant others, spread out across the country, my sister and her family, my parents who passes away many years ago… Perhaps throw in some cousins and Aunts & Uncles who are also gone…share with my kids’ generation the family gatherings of my youth, letting the kids get to know as adults the wonderful, interesting, crazy stock from which they’ve sprung. It would be a wonderful gathering full of conversation, laughter, the honest exchange of ideas, and of course great food (and drink)! My favorite memory as a child is falling asleep to the tides of those conversations, washing over me, tickling the edge of my consciousness, swaddling me with family love.
My favorite songwriter, Jay Farrar. My favorite diplomat, Madeleine Albright. My favorite man, my husband (yes, they are the same person). My favorite woman, my best friend. Don’t know why this combo is so appealing, but it would be a fun night.