Cooked with onions, garlic, lemon, and olives and seasoned with bold North African spices, this Moroccan chicken is incredibly flavorful.

Moroccan chicken is served in a white saucepan.

Many of my chicken recipes are simple. Crispy chicken thighs, grilled chicken breast, Greek chicken - you get the picture. But when I want to make something truly remarkable, company-worthy, yet perfect for a family dinner, I make this Moroccan chicken. It's incredibly flavorful, and despite its complex flavor profile, it's not difficult to make. It's ready in about an hour, and the reasonable time investment is well worth the delicious results.

Ingredient Notes

The ingredients needed to make Moroccan chicken.

See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on the ingredients.

To season: In addition to salt and pepper, I use paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper.
Chicken: I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.
Oil: I use olive oil to cook the chicken and onions. Ghee is a good substitute.
Aromatics: Onions, garlic, and ginger. I typically use yellow onions, but you can use Vidalia onions, a sweet variety that works well in this recipe.
Chicken broth: Homemade chicken broth if you have some, but store-bought is fine, too.
To finish: Lemon slices, pitted green olives, and chopped cilantro. I often use Meyer lemons, which are milder and sweeter than regular lemons.

Instructions

The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper on both sides and brown them in olive oil.

Browning the second side of the chicken.

Remove the chicken to a plate and cook the onions in the same pan. Add the garlic, ginger, and spices. Add the broth and use it to deglaze the bottom of the pan.

Add the chicken back to the pan with lemon slices and olives. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, for 20-30 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

The dish is ready in the saucepan. A serving spoon lifts a piece of chicken up.

The whole family loved it. I served with couscous, and the children ate it up. Thanks! We have a new chicken recipe.
Jeanette
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Recipe Tips

Depending on the size of your saucepan, you might need to brown the chicken pieces in two batches. I use a fairly small Dutch oven to make this recipe, so I brown four of them first, then the remaining ones. You don't want them too crowded in the pan - if they are, they won't brown as much, and the dish won't be as flavorful.
You can use boneless chicken thighs, but you'll need to brown and cook them for a shorter time. Brown them for 2 minutes per side and cook them for 20 minutes, then check to see if they're done. Their internal temperature should reach 165°F.
I don't recommend using chicken breasts. Thighs have more fat and are juicier. Chicken breasts will be drier and not as flavorful.
Fresh garlic and ginger greatly enhance the flavor of this dish. Please avoid using powders.
Storage: You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat them covered (to prevent splatters) in the microwave at 50% power. You can also freeze the cooled leftovers for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Serving Suggestions

Moroccan chicken is a saucy dish, so you'll want to serve it on top of something to absorb those yummy juices. The traditional bed for Moroccan chicken is couscous, but I often go with one of the following:

You can also serve this dish on top of raw baby spinach leaves. The hot cooking juices will wilt the spinach just enough to lightly cook it.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with serving it with no sides at all, in which case I serve two per person in shallow bowls with soup spoons in addition to knives and forks, as shown in the photo:

Moroccan Chicken

Ingredient Notes

Instructions

Recipe Tips

Serving Suggestions

Recipe Card