A deeply flavourful, slow-cooked tagine that balances warmth, sweetness, acidity, and spice. The combination of turmeric and ginger not only tastes incredible but also offers natural anti-inflammatory benefits. This irresistible stew is worth every minute of preparation!
peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into wedges
pitted and halved
ground
hot
ground minced
ground
bone-in, skin-on
large
large
freshly squeezed
flat-leaf, chopped
thinly sliced
cooked, optional for serving
optional for serving
optional for topping
toasted, optional for topping
Peel, seed, and cut the butternut squash into wedges. Halve the dates. Finely chop the red onion, mince the fresh ginger, chop the garlic cloves, chop the parsley, and thinly slice the spring onion. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon stick, sweet paprika, turmeric, cumin, hot smoked paprika, ground ginger, cloves, and cayenne pepper, and set aside.
Place the prepared butternut squash wedges and dates into the 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Season generously with salt and black pepper.
Pat the chicken thighs dry and season generously with salt. Warm the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, place the chicken skin-side down and cook without moving until the skin is deeply golden and crisp (about 5 to 8 minutes per batch). Only brown the skin side.
Transfer the browned chicken to the slow cooker, nestling the thighs skin-side up in a single layer on top of the squash and dates.
Reduce the stovetop heat to medium. If necessary, pour off all but a thin layer of rendered fat from the skillet. Add the chopped red onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits, until softened (about 5 minutes).
Add the minced ginger and chopped garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring, until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add the reserved spice mixture and stir well for about 30 seconds until the mixture is a uniform brick red.
Add the lemon juice to the skillet, stirring well to incorporate the browned bits (fond) from the bottom of the pan. Scrape this entire mixture over the top of the chicken in the slow cooker, ensuring any spice-stained oil is included.
Cook on low for 6 hours until the squash and chicken are very tender. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Stir in additional lemon juice and salt to taste. Fold in the chopped parsley and sliced spring onion. Serve immediately, optionally with couscous or pita bread, topped with plain yogurt and toasted almonds.
For a richer flavour, ensure you scrape up all the browned bits (fond) from the skillet when deglazing with lemon juice in Step 7; this adds significant depth to the sauce.
If you are pressed for time, you can skip the browning and sautéing steps. Simply layer all ingredients in the slow cooker, whisk the oil, spices, and lemon juice together, pour over the top, and cook as directed.
This tagine freezes well. Cool completely, transfer to airtight containers, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the hob.