Chicken Tagine with Fennel and Onion

This recipe is another Bon Appetit find that I had dog-eared for later.  I love Chermoula, another Moroccan dish, so I was sure that Chicken Tagine would be right up my alley.  I did make several modifications from the original recipe.  Nick hates olives, so I swapped in onion for them.  I also added wild rice to the plating of this, as we usually try to pair dinners with a starch, but it can be easily left out, so that the final product is more of a stew.

One thing I love about the results of this dish is that it reminds me of Tom Yum soup at a Thai restaurant.  Something about the lemon citrus, paired with a broth and a hint of heat from the cayenne really rang true to my taste buds.  I will definitely be adding this to my rotation of C2B Kitchen Classics (I just made that up).  ;)

Chicken Tagine with Fennel and Onion

Here's what I used:

1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
6 skinless boneless chicken thighs (1 1/2 pounds)
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 medium fennel bulbs, stalks trimmed, bulbs halved vertically, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 white onion, chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 bag 90 second Wild Rice from Uncle Ben (gasp.)

Here's what I did:

Mix all spices in a large bowl. Cut chicken crosswise into thirds. Add chicken to bowl of spices, and stir to coat.

Add 1 tbsp oil to large non-stick stock pot (I used my Mario Batali Dutch Oven) over med-high heat.  Brown chicken, about 2 minutes per side, and then remove.  Add 1 tbsp oil, fennel and onion to same skillet. Sauté until golden brown in spots and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Return chicken to pot, add broth and lemon juice. Bring to simmer, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until chicken is cooked through and sauce begins to thicken, about 20 minutes. Stir in cilantro just before serving, and add salt and pepper to taste.

I plated this in a soup bowl, with about a cup of rice, topped with 2 heaping ladles of chicken, vegetables and broth.