Tunisian Chicken & Cheese Tajine

📝 Ingredients

• 400 g chicken breast (2 fillets of about 200 g each)
• 1 chicken stock cube + 500 ml hot water
• 1 brown onion (about 120 g)
• 3 tbsp olive oil (1 for the onion, 1 for the dish, 1 for the salad)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 30 g fresh parsley (½ packet)
• 8 eggs
• 100 g grated Emmental
• 30 g breadcrumbs
• 500 g tomatoes (4 tomatoes of about 125 g each)
• ½ lemon (for the juice)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Saucepan with lid
• Frying pan
• Large mixing bowl
• 20 × 25 cm baking dish
• Forks
• Cutting board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Put the chicken fillets in a saucepan with the crumbled stock cube and 500 ml hot water: the liquid should cover them. Bring to a simmer, then cook covered over a low heat for 15 minutes, until the chicken is white all the way through, with no trace of pink.
2. While it cooks, finely slice the onion and chop the parsley, leaves and thin stalks. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and soften the onion for 6 to 7 minutes, until tender and translucent. Add the turmeric and stir for 30 seconds.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Lift the chicken out of the stock, leave it to cool for 5 minutes, then finely shred it with two forks, along the grain. Add it to the pan, stir for 2 minutes over a low heat to coat it in the onion, season lightly with salt, add pepper and remove from the heat.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a fork. Add the Emmental, breadcrumbs, parsley and then the slightly cooled chicken and onion mixture: if it is piping hot, it will start to cook the eggs. Mix to distribute the filling evenly.
5. Grease the base and sides of the baking dish with 1 tbsp olive oil. Pour in the mixture and smooth the surface with a spoon: it forms a layer about 2 cm deep, which cooks evenly to the centre without drying out at the edges.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tajine is puffed up, golden brown on top and set in the centre: a knife blade inserted in the middle should come out dry, with no liquid egg. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before cutting, so it holds together better.
7. While it bakes, dice the tomatoes and put them in a bowl with the juice of the half lemon, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix and keep in the fridge until serving, giving the tomatoes time to release a little juice.
8. Cut the tajine into squares and serve warm or cold, with the tomato salad. It holds together very well and is easy to pack in a box for the next day's lunch.