The tagine vessel is one of my favorite cooking tools. Not only do I consider it a bit of an art display in my kitchen, it also has the ability to hold in flavor and moisture due to its cone shape which creates steam to slowly cook the dish. I favor the tagine over other cooking tools such as the Dutch Oven or slow cooker when baking a whole chicken as I find there is better flavor and moisture retention within the dish. The tagine is also great for slow cooking vegetables, rice, beans and stews. I decided on oranges with the Santa Maria Seasoning for this recipe for a combination of savory and sweet which reminds me of Moroccan Cuisine where the tagine is commonly used. The tarragon? I just love tarragon and its the one herb that survived in my garden so far! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Ingredients:
- 3-4 lb whole chicken
- 3-4 stems of tarragon
- 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon of Santa Maria Seasoning
- 4 oranges sliced
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to Bake 350F
- Line the bottom of the tagine with 3 oranges sliced
- Place tarragon around the oranges
- Place the chicken over the oranges
- Insert the slices from the last orange into the cavity of the chicken
- Apply seasoning and olive oil onto the chicken and rub into the chicken
- Cover with tagine lid
- Bake for 1.5-2 hours until internal temperature reads 160 F. Start checking the temperature at the one hour mark.
- Once done, allow to rest for 10-15 minutes covered to complete cooking outside of the oven.