Pressure Cooker Chicken Tagine With Butternut Squash

Pressure Cooker Chicken Tagine With Butternut Squash
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(2,096)
Comments
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This warmly spiced stew is inspired by a Moroccan tagine. The word tagine describes both the clay pot traditionally used to cook the dish and the dish itself. This simplified version combines chicken with dates, which mostly disappear into the stew, imparting a honeyed sweetness. Butternut squash wedges steam on top as the chicken cooks, then get stirred in at the end, thickening the sauce.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 5 servings
  • 2tablespoons canola oil
  • 1large red onion, finely chopped
  • Kosher salt
  • 1(4-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about ¼ cup)
  • 6large garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1cinnamon stick
  • 2teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 1teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ¾teaspoon cumin
  • ½teaspoon hot smoked paprika
  • ½teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼teaspoon ground cayenne
  • teaspoon ground cloves
  • Black pepper
  • 1tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1cup chicken stock
  • ¼cup fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon), plus more to taste
  • 2pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 8dates, such as Medjool, pitted and halved
  • 1(2- to 2½-pound) butternut squash, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1-by-3-inch wedges
  • 1small 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 (5 servings)

579 calories; 15 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 74 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 33 grams sugars; 43 grams protein; 1422 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.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Using the sauté setting, warm the oil in the pot of a 6- to 8-quart pressure cooker. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the fresh ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes. Add the cinnamon stick, sweet paprika, turmeric, cumin, smoked paprika, ground ginger, cayenne and cloves. Season generously with black pepper. Stir well.

  2. Step 2

    Add the tomato paste and stir until fully combined, fragrant and brick-red in color, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice, scraping any browned bits that have collected at the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat. Add the chicken and the dates and stir to combine. Place the butternut squash wedges on top and season them generously with salt and pepper. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 16 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure manually. Open the lid, add the parsley and scallions and gently fold everything together. (The butternut squash will fall apart slightly to thicken the sauce.) Taste and add lemon juice and salt, if necessary. Serve with couscous or pita and top with yogurt and toasted almonds, if desired.

Ratings

5 out of 5
2,096 user ratings
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Comments

Very nice recipe for your pressure cooker collection but 2 pieces of advice: 16 minutes is way too long. 12 minutes is plenty of time with manual release. Also, I've made this successfully with bone in thighs, so if you can't find boneless or don't feel like de-boning the thighs, go ahead and use the bone-in ones. Absolutely no difference.

I made this in the oven with skin on bone in thighs. Baked covered at 350 for an hour then uncovered for another hour. Flavors were spot on, it was a hit with the family. I served it with farro. Great the day after too.

The photo doesn’t match the recipe. It shows skin-on thighs, browned, instead of boneless unbrowned. I just made it now according to the recipe and will see if I should try it the other way next time.that certainly looks more appealing.

I am making this for the first time tonight. Bought all the ingredients but couldn’t find a can opener once I got home (just moved here!) so I substituted about a cup of tomato marinara instead of the chicken broth and tomato paste. My new Instant Pot delivered a “burn food” message after it tried to come to pressure. In an attempt to recover my dish, I added a little over a cup of chicken broth. I don’t recommend my substitution!

I made this as written and it is lovely. I used the amount of hot paprika and cayenne listed, and it came out quite spicy, so I would reduce that if you're sensitive to spice. I topped with yogurt and served over long grain rice. Will try adding chickpeas next time to add some more textures.

turned out great! I cooked in an instant pot, followed the instructions of previous commenter, and added 1 cup of stock/white wine, and mixed the spices together with the squash and chicken. I used frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs, and layed the chicken on the bottom. High pressure for 40 minutes. I left out the cayenne, and we didn't have cinammon stick so I added 1 tsp cinnamon powder. tasted great!

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