Moroccan Chicken Tagine Pockets

David Jr. was born. February 4, 2021. Jasmine and David's first child, my eleventh — no, my second great-grandchild. Wait. Let me count. Amara was first. Now David Jr. Two great-grandchildren. I am sixty-five years old and I have two great-grandchildren and the math of my life is accelerating in a direction I didn't expect and absolutely love.

Earl Jr. called. Again. That man is a professional birth announcer — this is the second time he's called me from a hospital saying "a baby is here" and both times I've sat down so hard I worried about the chair. David Jr. weighed eight pounds even, which is a solid boy, and Jasmine is fine and David is the kind of new father who stares at his son like he's seeing the universe for the first time, which of course he is. Every baby is the universe, baby. Every single one.

I sent the freezer meals via Earl Jr. He drove down to Savannah last weekend and loaded the cooler — same system as Tasha, same meals, same love, different address. He said, "Mama, this cooler weighs fifty pounds." I said, "It's fifty pounds of food and a thousand pounds of love." He said, "The love doesn't weigh anything in my trunk." I said, "Then you're carrying it wrong."

I have not met David Jr. yet. But I will. Soon. The vaccines are working. The world is opening, slowly, grudgingly, like a window that's been painted shut. And when I hold that boy, I will tell him about his great-grandfather Earl, who staked tomatoes and fixed screen doors and ate everything I cooked without complaint and loved this family with a quiet ferocity that made everything possible.

Made chicken and dumplings tonight. Celebration dumplings. The flat, chewy kind that Mama taught me. A hug in a bowl. Welcome to the world, David Jr. There's a bowl of dumplings waiting for you.

Now go on and feed somebody.

I made chicken and dumplings that night for myself—my Mama’s flat, chewy kind, the kind that carries sixty-five years of memory in every bite—but when I think about sharing that same celebratory spirit with Jasmine and David and that brand-new eight-pound boy, I want something they can hold in their hands, something bold and warm and full of life, the way David Jr. already is. These Moroccan Chicken Tagine Pockets have that same quality my dumplings have: they feel like a celebration tucked into something soft, spiced with the kind of depth that says somebody cooked with intention. Send them in a cooler, serve them at a table, or eat them standing over the sink the night a baby comes into the world—they’ll do the job just fine.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1/3 cup green olives, pitted and halved
1/4 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 large pita breads, halved to form pockets
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

Season the chicken. Pat chicken pieces dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Sear the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer and cook 3–4 minutes per side until golden. Transfer to a plate; do not cook through yet.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same pan. Add sliced onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden.
Bloom the spices. Add garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, and cayenne. Stir constantly for 1 minute until fragrant.
Simmer the tagine. Return chicken to the pan. Add drained tomatoes, olives, dried apricots, and chicken broth. Stir to combine, bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook 20–22 minutes until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened slightly.
Taste and adjust. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed. If the sauce is thinner than desired, uncover and simmer 3–5 additional minutes.
Warm the pitas. Wrap pita halves in a damp paper towel and microwave 30–45 seconds, or warm directly over a gas flame or dry skillet for 30 seconds per side.
Assemble and serve. Spoon the chicken tagine filling into each pita pocket. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a pinch of feta, and fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Moroccan Chicken Tagine Pockets — A Celebration Bowl in Every Bite