Reviewed: Oct. 17, 2009

Being half Algerian (yet a rather poor cook) my girlfriend asked me to cook some traditional North African food for her. This recipe looked close to the one my dad used to make for me. To all those complaining about how runny it is - that's generally how it's eaten, as the cous cous soaks it up...with plenty of bread to mop it up. Nevertheless my girlfriend wanted it thicker so I added some flour to it. I didn't have any cloves to hand, but apart from that I followed the recipe nearly exactly. If you can get hold of some, eat it with a dollop of Harissa (a spicy pepper sauce) on the side. Yum!

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Mina

Cooking Level: Beginning

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Reviewed: Aug. 26, 2009

I only used one can of chicken broth,as the reviews said it was watery and found that to be plenty. While cooking I tasted, and had to bump up the amount of spices, also adding garlic, cilantro and pepper flakes (we like spicy). I made the dish in the afternoon, refrigerated and served that night. It thickened and had a nice flavor. My family really liked this and I'll make it again.

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SARVIN4

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Wichita, Kansas, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 16, 2009

This was great! I only had a pound of chicken breast but that was fine for 4 people. I used regular (not whole wheat) couscous, 1/4 tsp ground cloves because I didn't have whole ones, only 1 cup chicken broth and 1 cup tomato sauce instead of crushed tomatoes. I also used 3 carrots and next time I'll use 2 zucchinis. It was a very tasty and filling meal, and with my modifications, not runny at all. Thank you!

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tibbadee

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

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Reviewed: Jul. 11, 2009

Yum. I used chicken thighs and extra spices as suggested by some review. As good as a gourmet restaurant. Definitely a keeper!

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Laura B

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Reviewed: Jul. 9, 2009

Awesome recipe. I worked for years at a gourmet Moroccan recipe and my family said I out-did the restaurant. I did mix it up a bit though. First I added about five carrots and an extra zucchini two small potatoes and a large onion instead. I also added about a half cup of raisins. I didn't add the chicken because my mom's vegan but instead halved a couple cornish hens, seasoned them with the same seasonings used in the recipe, and roasted them in the oven. This made for a more pleasing presentation, I think. I increased the amount of seasonings probably by at least 30% and the extra veggies helped soak up a lot of the liquid so it wasn't too soupie. For nutritional reasons my mother suggested adding a bit of kale so I'll probably try that next time. All in all a delightful and healthy meal.

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Megiddeh

Home Town: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 16, 2009

Good start but I needed to add more seasonings to make it great.

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Errica

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: San Jose, California, USA

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Reviewed: May 20, 2009

This meal was okay, but nothing to rave about.

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Celeste

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Reviewed: May 18, 2009

I absolutely loved it. The kids and husband not so much. I thought that the flavors blended superbly and wasn't upset there were left overs later for me! :-)

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alemana

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Prince Frederick, Maryland, USA

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Reviewed: May 11, 2009

dump couscous into pot at end and no need to reduce amount of broth in recipe. add garlic too.

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makossak

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Apr. 21, 2009

Fabulous! Made it for me and some friends, and everyone raved. If you like international cuisine, definitely give this recipe a try! Mmm, mmm, good!

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Sarah

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Elkhart, Kansas, USA

Living In: Lubbock, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 13, 2009

Easy to make and delicious. My 3 year old even scarfed it down!

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Pauline Alford

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Reviewed: Apr. 5, 2009

My husband and I love moroccan food and this was a keeper. I used yellow squash instead of the zucchini and a 36 oz. box of chicken broth. It was really runny so I thinkened the juice with some cornstarch. Most moroccan chicken recipes I've fixed in the past didn't call for cloves but I think it adds a unique flavor.

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COOKINGQUEEN75

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Greenville, Ohio, USA

Living In: Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 6, 2009

My husband and I were both wondering how this recipe got rated so high. I've been cooking for years and followed the recipe exactly as printed. It was bland and somewhat sweet, but not very tasty to be blunt. I actually ended up digging all the chicken out of it (because I couldn't stand to throw it out) and threw taco seasoning on it to make chicken tacos out of it. On a good note, my husband realized he likes chickpeas.

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oparks

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Feb. 21, 2009

I thought this was pretty good. Is there a mistake in the amount of chicken stock? One 48oz can?? I didn't do half that amount. It seemed way to much.

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SWEETJAM

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Tempe, Arizona, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 21, 2009

Very yummy with lots of leftovers!

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Pongorilla

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Reviewed: Jan. 21, 2009

Wonderful and healthy recipe. I substituted curry powder for tumeric for more flavor and instead of cooking the couscous separate, I took my box of whole wheat couscous and tossed it right into the pot when I took it off the heat. I've had a friend from Tunisia cook it this way and it really helps with that extra liquid problem other comments pointed out. The flavors were awesome and there was plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day!

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theredheaddiva

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Nevada City, California, USA

Living In: Seattle, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 21, 2009

This recipe was disgustingly bland. I recently ordered a few Mediterranean and African cookbooks, and fortunately had those on hand to go to, for information on how to rescue the pot of ingredients that I started. The recipe posted is a watered-down version of a "Spicy Chickpea and Carrot Tagine" with chicken added. The spice bouquet in the posted recipe is too weak, and the amounts of spices should be bumped up. Also, the posted recipe omitted some essential ingredients for the tagine, including an essential one -- garlic! Furthermore, the oil used should be olive oil and a bunch of chopped cilantro should be stirred into the dish before serving. In order to rescue the pot of watery, bland stuff, I adjusted the spices and also steamed the couscous above the simmering tagine, to absorb water from the stew and concentrate the flavors.

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AsperGirl

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Reviewed: Dec. 6, 2008

Good but not great. Add chicken broth to your desired consistency. I used a little over half the suggested 48oz. I doubled the spices too. My only real gripe is that it doesn't taste very authentic.

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yokidneybean

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: San Francisco, California, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 26, 2008

This was very good, but taking the other reviewers advice I cut the broth by half. I will be making this again, but I will be doubling the spices. It was a little balnd for our tastes.

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bndibean

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Oakley, California, USA

Living In: Sierra Vista, Arizona, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 10, 2008

An excellent dish. I made it using dark turkey meat, which I browned with the onion and two cloves of garlic for about twenty minutes before adding the other ingredients. 1/3 cup raisins added a wonderful sweetness, and I doubled the carrots and zucchini. If you want this to be a stew and not a thin soup, cut the chicken soup down to 16 ounces.

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