Tfaya Baked Chicken

Updated June 16, 2022

Tfaya Baked Chicken
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(546)
Comments
Read comments

This one-pan chicken dish is a practically effortless meal packed with the flavors of Morocco. Tfaya is a sweet and savory Moroccan sauce made of caramelized onions, raisins and spices, and here those ingredients are used to create a comforting meal that requires only 10 minutes of preparation time.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

    For the Chicken

    • 2cups raisins
    • 3large red onions (about 1 pound), halved and sliced
    • 4chicken leg quarters (about 2½ pounds total)
    • Generous ¼ cup sliced almonds
    • Couscous or bread, for serving

    For the Marinade

    • ½cup vegetable stock
    • 3tablespoons olive oil
    • 2tablespoons honey
    • 4garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
    • ¾teaspoon ground turmeric
    • ¾teaspoon ground ginger
    • ¾teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ¼teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼teaspoon ground cinnamon
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

1173 calories; 68 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 32 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 83 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 61 grams sugars; 62 grams protein; 755 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

    Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Soak the raisins in hot water for 5 minutes or until softened; drain and transfer to a deep roasting pan.

  2. Step 2

    Make the marinade: Transfer the stock, olive oil, honey, garlic, turmeric, ginger, salt, black pepper and cinnamon to a large bowl; mix until smooth and well combined.

  3. Step 3

    Add the onions to the roasting pan and pour approximately half of the marinade over the onions and raisins. Use your hands or tongs to combine.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer the chicken legs to the large bowl with the remaining marinade and use your hands or tongs to make sure that the chicken is thoroughly coated. Place the chicken legs on top of the onion mixture, skin-side up, and pour any remaining marinade over the chicken.

  5. Step 5

    Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and scatter the almonds on top. Return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and golden and the almonds are nicely toasted. Serve immediately, with a side of couscous or bread.

Ratings

4 out of 5
546 user ratings
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Comments

The raisins, almonds and spices here recall Country Captain, an old-fashioned Southern U.S. dish. I quibble with the use of the word "marinade," because it probably will confuse some people, but....

Its the beginning of a nice dish but its way too sweet Suggestion: cut the honey and raisins by half Easily turned in to a nice 1 pot meal: At the 30 min mark: - remove chicken, - mix in 1+ cups Israeli Couscous (aka Pearl Couscous/Ptitim) - (optional) 2-3 cups chopped hearty green (e.g., kale) - add another half-cup broth and stir well to combine - replace chicken. Then cook covered for another 10 to 15 minutes. Finally, remove lid following browning + almonds as above for 10 min

it seems like the prep has been shortened to reduce the time to the table. Id be inclined to actually rub the marinade into the chicken and let it sit before proceeding - even an hour would make a difference in flavor.

Great recipe, simple and tasty, with room for tweaks. I used leeks instead of onions. As others say, reduce raisins and honey, add a bit more spice, and increase marinate time.

I made this for one, with a single chicken thigh. I cut the marinade in half (easier than a quarter) and am glad I did, because I'm not sure there would have been enough otherwise. I didn't have any raisins or other dried fruit, so I went without. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so next time I'll cut down a bit on the honey and maybe substitute grated fresh ginger for the powdered to perk it up a bit. Still liked it tonight, though. Oh, and I'll add more almonds!

Soaked the raisins in the marinade rather than in water. Made for Yummy raisins! Marinated the chicken for 3 hours, served with brown rice. Perfect! Easy and delicious recipe. Very Morrocan flavors. I think this calls out for dried apricots.

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