Few dishes embody warmth and comfort like Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots. This Moroccan-inspired stew is deeply aromatic, combining tender lamb with a rich, spiced sauce. It’s a dish that rewards patience, with slow cooking transforming simple ingredients into something extraordinary. Once prepped, the oven takes over, leaving you free to anticipate the incredible flavours developing in your kitchen.
Table of Contents
- Ingredient Breakdown
- The History of Tagine
- Why Lamb Shoulder is the Best Cut
- Low and Slow
- Sweet and Savoury: The Perfect Pairing
- Serving Suggestions
- More Tagine Recipes
Ingredient Breakdown
- Lamb shoulder: A flavourful cut that becomes tender through slow cooking.
- Ras el hanout: A North African spice blend that adds warmth while building complexity.
- Harissa spice powder: Offers subtle heat and depth of flavour.
- Ground cumin: Earthy and slightly nutty, complementing the richness of the lamb.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds warmth and a gentle sweetness.
- Ground ginger: Provides a mild heat and fragrant citrusy undertone.
- Sea salt & black pepper: Essential for seasoning and enhancing all flavours.
- Olive oil: Helps brown the lamb and create a flavourful base.
- Onion: Brings sweetness and depth to the dish.
- Fresh coriander: The stems infuse the sauce with freshness, while the leaves add a bright finish.
- Garlic: Enhances savoury depth with its robust aroma.
- Tinned plum tomatoes: Contribute acidity while creating a rich, velvety texture.
- Chicken or vegetable stock: Builds a well-rounded, savoury sauce.
- Chickpeas: Add heartiness and a creamy texture.
- Dried apricots: Introduce sweetness, balancing the dish beautifully.
The History of Tagine
Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots is more than just a dish. It’s a representation of Moroccan culinary heritage. Tagine cooking dates back centuries and remains a staple in North African cuisine. Named after the traditional earthenware pot in which it is cooked, a tagine allows for slow simmering, gently coaxing out the rich flavours of meats, vegetables, and spices.
Historically, Moroccan tagines were developed as a practical way to prepare meals in desert climates. The unique shape of the tagine pot – featuring a conical lid – traps steam, keeping food moist while reducing the need for excess liquid. This made it ideal for nomadic communities who needed to cook using minimal water. Today, while modern cookware can replicate the results, the traditional method is still revered in Moroccan households and beyond.
The balance of spices, sweetness, and savoury depth in Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots reflects the centuries-old spice trade that shaped Moroccan cuisine. Ingredients such as cinnamon, cumin, and ginger were introduced to North Africa through trade routes, creating a fusion of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Berber influences. By preparing this dish, you’re embracing a time-honoured culinary tradition that continues to delight food lovers worldwide.
Why Lamb Shoulder is the Best Cut
When making Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots, choosing the right cut of meat makes all the difference. Lamb shoulder is ideal for slow cooking due to its balance of meat, fat, and connective tissue. During the long, gentle cooking process, the fat renders down, basting the meat and making it irresistibly tender.
Unlike leaner cuts, such as leg of lamb, shoulder benefits from time and low heat. The connective tissues break down, infusing the sauce with richness. For best results, marinate the lamb overnight. This allows the spices to penetrate deeply, packing every bite full of flavour. Taking the lamb out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking helps it sear properly, locking in juices before it simmers away in the tagine.
Low and Slow
Unlike stovetop stews that require frequent stirring, Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots benefits from a slow bake in the oven. This method allows for even heat distribution, ensuring the lamb cooks gently and absorbs the deep flavours of the sauce. Baking at 160°C (fan 140°C) provides the ideal environment for the spices to meld and the apricots to soften into the dish, releasing their natural sugars.
Before transferring everything to the oven, browning the lamb in olive oil is an essential step. This locks in flavour and creates a foundation for the sauce. Adding the onions, garlic, and coriander stems to the pan ensures their flavours infuse deeply before the liquid ingredients go in. Bringing the mixture to a simmer before covering and baking allows the heat to distribute evenly, setting the stage for tender, flavourful lamb.
Sweet and Savoury: The Perfect Pairing
One of the defining characteristics of Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots is its balance between sweet and savoury elements. While Western palates often separate sweet and savoury flavours, Moroccan cuisine embraces their combination, resulting in dishes that are rich, layered, and deeply satisfying.
In this recipe, dried apricots bring a natural fruitiness that complements the savoury richness of the lamb. Their subtle sweetness enhances the earthy spices, while their soft texture melts into the sauce, creating a luscious consistency. Cinnamon, another essential ingredient, bridges the gap between sweet and savoury, reinforcing the warmth of the dish without overwhelming it.
This balance is rooted in Moroccan culinary traditions, where dried fruits such as apricots, dates, and prunes frequently feature in meat-based dishes. The use of these ingredients dates back to medieval Andalusian and Middle Eastern cooking techniques, where the interplay of spices, meat, and fruit was considered a mark of refined cuisine.
Serving Suggestions
It is best to serve Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots with accompaniments that soak up its rich, aromatic sauce. Fluffy couscous is a natural choice, offering a light yet satisfying base that absorbs every bit of flavour. To elevate the couscous, toss it with olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a handful of toasted almonds or pomegranate seeds for added texture.
For a heartier option, serve the tagine with warm, freshly baked flatbreads. You can be use these to scoop up the sauce, ensuring nothing goes to waste. A side of roasted vegetables, such as spiced carrots or charred aubergine, adds depth and complements the dish’s warm spices. A cooling yoghurt dip with fresh mint can provide a refreshing contrast to the rich, slow-cooked flavours.
More Tagine Recipes
If you’re looking for more tagine recipes after making this Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots, why not try these?
- Vegan Butternut Squash and Chickpea Tagine: This warmly spiced vegan tagine is bursting with flavour. It’s wholesome, delicious and easy to make.
- Lamb Tagine with Almonds and Prunes: This tagine is a dish that brings together deep, warming spices, tender slow-cooked lamb, and the perfect balance of sweetness and crunch.
See how I make all these recipes and more over on my Instagram!
Lamb Tagine
An aromatic stew of meltingly tender lamb, chickpeas and dried apricots, packed with warm, Moroccan spices. It’s easy, quick to assemble and full of flavour – just kick back and let the oven do all the work.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Meat, Stews and Casseroles
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ras el hanout
- 1 tbsp harissa spice powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
- 600 g diced lamb shoulder
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 30 g fresh coriander, leaves picked, stems finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tin of whole peeled plum tomatoes, hand-crushed
- 500 ml good quality chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 x 400 g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 150 g dried apricots, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Combine the spices in a small bowl. Place the diced lamb in a large bowl. Massage the spices into the diced lamb. Cover with cling film and let sit in the fridge for a couple of hours, or, preferably, overnight. Let sit at room temperature 30 mins before cooking.
- Heat oven to 160℃/fan 140℃. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the lamb and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, around 5 minutes.
- Add the onion and coriander stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, around 1 minute.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, stock, chickpeas and dried apricots; stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and bake the tagine until the lamb is nice and tender, 2 to 2 ½ hours. Season with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste.
- Roughly chop the coriander leaves and scatter them over the finished dish. Serve with couscous and veggies – enjoy!
Notes
Total time excludes marinating time.
