The flavors of Moroccan chicken are just what you need during the holidays. You may already have your menu confirmed for Christmas Day, but if you’re hosting the holidays this year, you will need tasty meals to keep your family happy. Moroccan chicken will do just that. It is chicken combined with an array of spices, lemon, ginger, honey and olives. This dish really hits your senses, and makes you want to curl up on the sofa in silence.

 

Moroccan Chicken by Diverse Dinners

 

Full disclosure, I simplified this recipe for you. Traditional Moroccan chicken calls for preserved lemons. I know that many of my readers would skip this recipe if they had to go in search of preserved lemons, so I used Meyer lemons instead. Also, preserved Lemons are an acquired taste, a taste I am not sure my readers would be open to, so I decided to nix the preserved lemons, to avoid possible “yuck” factor, and to make this dish easier to create.

Assuming you don’t have a tagine, the best vessel to create Moroccan chicken in is a cast iron dutch oven, or regular dutch oven. You need a pan that allows heat and flavors to evenly distribute. A dutch oven, cast iron or no, will do that.

This dutch oven is a new addition to my kitchen toolkit. I snagged it on Black Friday. Isn’t she pretty?!

 

Moroccan Chicken by Diverse Dinners

 

What do you serve Moroccan chicken with? I hear you ask. Cous cous is the traditional partner, but you can serve it with any grain-like side dish, such as quinoa, orzo, rice or farro. I have also served Moroccan chicken with mashed potatoes, but I held back the olives, because olives on top of mashed potatoes doesn’t work for me, at all.

On the subject of olives, traditionally, green Moroccan olives is what is expected, but I couldn’t find them. If you can, then use them, if not, do what I did and substitute with Castelvetrano olives. They hail from Sicily and they are gorgeous, buttery, meaty specimens that will keep you coming back for more.

 

Moroccan Chicken by Diverse Dinners

 

The chicken is cooked skin on in this dish. I tried this recipe with and without skin, and I can confirm that with skin is the way to go. The skin protects the chicken and allows the it to retain the flavors. Creating this dish with skinless chicken pieces can result in somewhat dry pieces of chicken. If you don’t want to eat the skin, do what I did, and remove it when serving.

 

Print Recipe

Moroccan Chicken

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 lb chicken thighs approx. 8 thighs
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 1 1/2 cups red onions sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic sliced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
  • 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp coriander
  • 1 1/2 tsp Meyer lemon juice
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 1/2 cups green olives
  • Zest of half Meyer lemon cut into thin strips

Equipment & Utensils

  • Dutch oven

Instructions

  • Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
  • Heat oil in dutch oven on high, then add chicken and brown on all sides. Do not overcrowd the dutch oven, brown the chicken in batches.
  • Once all of the chicken is browned, set aside and lower heat to medium.
  • Add onions and garlic and stir, lifting the bits off the bottom of the dutch oven - where the flavor is.
  • Cook onions and garlic until they soften.
  • Add ginger and spices and mix thoroughly.
  • Add lemon juice, chicken broth and honey and mix again thoroughly.
  • Carefully place browned chicken pieces into dutch oven, then pile olives and lemon zest on top
  • Mix ingredients, ensuring you keep the chicken pieces, including skin, in tact.
  • Allow liquid to bubble, and when it does, lower heat just above simmer and cover.
  • Allow to cook for 1 hour.
  • Taste sauce, all of the ingredients should have combined to give you a sweet spicy sauce with a little acidic zing from the lemons.
  • Remove from heat once chicken is cooked through and serve.