Moroccan Roast Chicken and Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon dried coriander
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon sumac (*)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 whole chicken (about 4 or 5 lb)
• 4 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound baby potatoes (cleaned)
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes (washed)
• 8 cloves garlic (peeled)
• 10 dried apricots (roughly chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350℉.

2. 2

   In a small bowl combine all the spice rub ingredients together.

3. 3

   Clean the chicken, pat it dry and make sure to remove the bag with chicken giblets, if your chicken has it. Rub all the spice rub all over the chicken. Add 2 tbsp of the olive oil to the tagine then place the chicken in the tagine.

4. 4

   In a bowl toss together the potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, and apricots. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the potatoes and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss everything together and add to the tagine, spread the potatoes around the chicken.

5. 5

   Cover the tagine with the lid and bake in the oven for about 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours. To check if your chicken is done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, and if the temperature reaches 165℉ (74℃) the chicken is cooked through. After 2 hours the chicken should be cooked really well, the meat should fall off the bones.

6. 6

   Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.