The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.
As of December 2025, we’ve revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.
Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.
Slow-cooker chicken & lemon tagine
This North African-style stew is as easy as it is elegant. Preserved lemon adds a lovely sweet-sour note, while ras el hanout and smoky paprika bring a warming depth. It’s perfect for the slow cooker, as the chicken thighs and carrots braise low and slow, soaking up all that fab fragrance and flavour. Chickpeas and couscous provide the filling power.
SWK: High protein
Plants 8
SWK: High fibre
slow cooker
Serving size
Ingredients
- 125g wholewheat couscous (Wheat) (100% Whole WHEAT semolina)
- 1 chicken stock cube (use half) (Celery) (sea salt, potato starch*, sustainable palm oil* , sugar*, chicken fat* 3.5%, yeast extract, natural flavour, chicken meat* 1%, herbs & spices* (turmeric*, black pepper*, parsley*, rosemary*), onion powder*. * Organic ingredient)
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 3 garlic clove
- 20g preserved lemons (Sulphites) (Lemons (61%), Salt (10%). Packed in Water (29%))
- 300g skinless & boneless chicken thighs (raw skinless boneless chicken thighs)
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp ras el hanout (Rose Petals, Coriander, Ginger, Green Cardamom, Galangal, Kalonji, Pimento, Lavender, Cassia, Cinnamon, Cayenne Pepper, Black Pepper Ground, Mace, Nutmeg, Cloves.)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika & oregano blend (smoked paprika, oregano)
- 230g chickpeas (Rehydrated chick-peas, water, salt, antioxidant: ascorbic acid)
- 200g passata (tomatoes, salt, citric acid)
- 1 handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
Nutritional Information
Calories: 628
Protein: 53g
Carbs: 77g
Fat: 14g
Ingredients
- 2 onion
- 2 carrot
- 5 garlic clove
- 40g preserved lemons (Sulphites) (Lemons (61%), Salt (10%). Packed in Water (29%))
- 600g skinless & boneless chicken thighs (raw skinless boneless chicken thighs)
- 4 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tbsp ras el hanout (Rose Petals, Coriander, Ginger, Green Cardamom, Galangal, Kalonji, Pimento, Lavender, Cassia, Cinnamon, Cayenne Pepper, Black Pepper Ground, Mace, Nutmeg, Cloves.)
- 4 tsp smoked paprika & oregano blend (smoked paprika, oregano)
- 460g chickpeas (Rehydrated chick-peas, water, salt, antioxidant: ascorbic acid)
- 400g passata (tomatoes, salt, citric acid)
- 1 chicken stock cube (Celery) (sea salt, potato starch*, sustainable palm oil* , sugar*, chicken fat* 3.5%, yeast extract, natural flavour, chicken meat* 1%, herbs & spices* (turmeric*, black pepper*, parsley*, rosemary*), onion powder*. * Organic ingredient)
- 1 handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 250g wholewheat couscous (Wheat) (100% Whole WHEAT semolina)
Nutritional Information
Calories: 625
Protein: 53g
Carbs: 77g
Fat: 14g
Slow-cooker chicken & lemon tagine
This North African-style stew is as easy as it is elegant. Preserved lemon adds a lovely sweet-sour note, while ras el hanout and smoky paprika bring a warming depth. It’s perfect for the slow cooker, as the chicken thighs and carrots braise low and slow, soaking up all that fab fragrance and flavour. Chickpeas and couscous provide the filling power.
Cook time:
430 mins
Cuisine:
Moroccan
Food group:
Poultry
Allergens: Sulphites, Wheat
Cooking Instructions
Before you start
- 1 slow cooker
- 1 medium saucepan
Get prepping
- Peel the onions and cut each into 8 wedges, then dice the carrots into 2cm chunks. Peel and crush the garlic, then chop the preserved lemons and discard any pips.
- On a separate board, trim any visible fat from the chicken.
Tagine ingredients, assemble!
- Put the onions, carrots, garlic, preserved lemons and chicken into the slow cooker. Add the tomato purée, ras el hanout and paprika blend, then tip in the chickpeas and their water and the passata.
- Crumble in half the stock cube (all of it for 4 portions), stir well and cook on low for 6-7 hours, until the chicken is cooked through. (Bear in mind some slow cookers run hotter than others, so test the dish halfway through and add more water if it looks a bit dry. Towards the end, check everything is cooked thoroughly and just give it a bit longer if necessary.)
Sort the couscous
- When it’s almost ready, put the couscous in a mixing bowl and lightly season to taste with salt. Pour in enough boiled water to just cover the couscous, stir well, cover and leave for 5 mins, until the water is absorbed.
- Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley and stir half into the tagine.
Plate up
- Use 2 forks to pull each chicken thigh into 2-3 bite-size chunks. Serve with the couscous and the remaining parsley sprinkled on top.