Moroccan Chicken

This dish has it all — robustly seasoned Moroccan Chicken atop a veggie-packed couscous with a delicious apricot finishing sauce!

An Easy Moroccan Chicken

We can’t get enough of this meal! Not only is it intoxicatingly fragrant, but the flavors are deeply nuanced — with a savory sweetness, slight smokiness, and wonderful earthy flavors. The sweet apricot sauce balances the slight hit of spice on the chicken and the couscous base pulls everything together perfectly!

What To Serve With Moroccan Chicken

At first glance, the recipe may seem a little overwhelming, but keep in mind that this recipe encapsulates an entire meal — a veggie-packed couscous base, ultra-flavorful grilled chicken, and an apricot sauce to tie everything together. Truly each component is simple and easy, plus we keep the majority of the mess outside, thanks to the grill!

Below we’ll break down each component of this meal starting with the marinade.

Moroccan Chicken Marinade

The marinade for this recipe whips together so quickly! We combine a handful of spices with olive oil, ginger, and garlic. If you find yourself making this Grilled Moroccan Chicken frequently (like we do), it’s a huge time saver to make a few spice “packets” at once. While you’ve got all the spices out, measure out and assemble a few separate batches of all the spices into small separate bags or containers to use in the future. 

A couple of time savers on the marinade:

• For the ginger and garlic, we love using Dorot® cubes. You can keep them handy in the freezer and pop them into this (and other) recipes when needed. (Check if your local store carries them; they’re typically found with frozen veggies in the grocery store.) Another option is to use refrigerated garlic paste and refrigerated minced garlic.

How To Cook Moroccan Chicken (Tips)

• Shorter marinade time? Even 20-30 minutes of marinating the chicken is effective. If opting for a quicker marinating time, poke a few holes into the chicken using the tines of a fork. This will help the marinade penetrate the meat in the shorter marinating time.
• Flip marinating chicken. Throughout the marinating process, be sure to flip the bag of marinating Moroccan Chicken onto the other side. We don’t want just one side of the chicken getting flavorful!
• Generously oil your grill grates. I do this by rolling up a few paper towels, drenching them in oil (canola or vegetable), and with tongs, rubbing the drenched paper towels along the grill grates. This will contribute to a beautiful sear, and ensure the chicken doesn’t stick to the grates.
• Use a digital meat thermometer to remove the guesswork of grilling!
  • Cooking times will vary, depending on several factors so I always recommend using a thermometer to test your chicken as it cooks. Aim to hit 160 degrees Fahrenheit. (Under-cooked = unsafe; Over-cooked = dry chicken). (Carry-over heat will take the chicken to a safe 165 degrees)
• Let the chicken rest. Tented with foil, let the Moroccan Chicken stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting in. This allows the juices to redistribute inside the chicken; this means juicier meat!

Apricot Sauce

This sauce is nothing short of addicting! It’s so quick to whip together and serves a dual purpose:

1. The sauce adds loads of flavor to the couscous base.
2. It gets drizzled over the Moroccan Chicken, delivering the perfect finishing touch of flavor.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the ingredients in the sauce:

• Apricot preserves: Grab the best quality you can find; we love Bonne Maman® best, but Smucker’s® is also great. (While you’ve got these preserves in your fridge, it’s the perfect excuse to whip together these Mini Fruit Tarts (they’re one of my very favorite treats!).
• White wine vinegar: Not to be confused with white vinegar, white wine vinegar is much milder and less pungent than plain white vinegar.
• Dijon mustard: Not to be confused with yellow mustard– the two aren’t interchangeable here.
• Extra virgin olive oil: The better the olive oil, the better the flavor! There is a lot of olive oil between this sauce, the couscous, and the chicken marinade, so the importance of good oil can’t be overstated.
• Salt & pepper: No element of this Moroccan Chicken Recipe is complete without seasoning, so we add some to this sauce as well.

Let’s Chat Couscous

One of my favorite things about couscous is how quickly it whips together. From start to finish it can be ready in 10 minutes or less. I like to start the prep for the couscous right before throwing the marinated Moroccan Chicken on the grill!

There are several different types of couscous, so you want to make sure to get the small couscous (also labeled “Moroccan-Style Pasta”) so it cooks up in this short amount of time. (We use large couscous in this Summer Couscous Salad or Moroccan Stew.!)

To elevate the flavor of couscous, we’ll cook it in some chicken broth with olive oil and salt. The salt is very important to the end flavor, so don’t be afraid to add a touch more if desired.

And after the couscous is cooked through, we add some of the apricot sauce to add even more flavor. The carrots and peas are a nice way to sneak in veggies, add texture, and contribute even more flavor to this meal’s base.

More Grilled Chicken Recipes

• Chicken Fajita Marinade perfect for grilled chicken fajitas
• Grilled Chicken Marinade our favorite all-purpose chicken marinade
• Grilled Curry Chicken over coconut rice
• Teriyaki Chicken Skewers with veggies
• Chicken and Yellow Rice with a sun-dried tomato sauce

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5 from 4 votes

Moroccan Chicken

By Chelsea Lords

This dish has it all -- robustly seasoned Moroccan Chicken atop a veggie-packed couscous with a delicious apricot finishing sauce!

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

• Grill or grill pan
• Tongs, metal turner, paper towel and vegetable or canola oil (for greasing grill)

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
• ▢ 10 tablespoons olive oil, separated
• ▢ 2 teaspoons each: paprika, honey, minced garlic, ginger paste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon each: ground turmeric, cinnamon
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ salt & pepper,
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups peeled and grated carrots (3 medium)
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups couscous (Note 1)
• ▢ 1/4 cup good quality apricot preserves
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• ▢ 1 cup frozen peas
• ▢ Optional: fresh flat-leaf parsley, 1 lemon

Instructions 

• PREP: Cut chicken breasts in half widthwise and cover with plastic wrap. Pound with a meat mallet to 1/2-inch thickness. Place the chicken in a gallon resealable bag to avoid turmeric stains. Peel and grate carrots using the large holes of a grater.
  
• MARINADE: In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tsp honey, 2 tsp minced garlic, 2 tsp ginger paste, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, and salt (I use 1 tsp). Mix until smooth. Pour over the chicken in the bag, seal, and massage to coat. Marinate in the fridge for 5-8 hours. (Note 2).
  
• APRICOT SAUCE: In a small blender or food processor, combine 1/4 cup apricot preserves, 1/2 tsp Dijon, 2 tbsp vinegar, and salt & pepper (I use 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper). Blend for about 45 seconds until combined. Slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil while blending until smooth, about 25 seconds. Transfer to a covered jar and refrigerate.
  
• COUSCOUS: Prepare couscous while heating the grill (Note 3). In a medium pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over high. Add 1-1/2 cups grated carrots and sauté for 3 minutes. Add 1-1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 tbsp olive oil, and salt (I use 1/2 tsp). Bring to a boil, then remove from heat, add 1-1/2 cups couscous, stir, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Dice parsley to get 1/4 cup. Fluff couscous with a fork, stir in 1 cup frozen peas, 1/4 cup parsley, and 1/4 cup of the prepared sauce. Mix, taste, and season with salt and pepper if needed.
  
• GRILL CHICKEN: Place chicken breasts on the grill and spoon leftover marinade on top. Grill, covered, for 2-5 minutes per side, depending on grill temperature and chicken thickness. Use a sharp metal turner to flip. After grilling, cover the chicken with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
  
• SERVE: Divide couscous among plates, top with grilled chicken, and drizzle with remaining sauce. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges if desired. Enjoy!

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Couscous: Choose small couscous (labeled "Moroccan-Style Pasta") to ensure it cooks quickly.

Note 2: Marinating time: Marinating the chicken for 30 minutes is effective. For a short marinade, poke holes with a fork to help it penetrate. Don't pierce if marinating longer than 30 minutes.

Note 3: Preparing grill: Preheat grill to medium-high (400-450°F). Clean and grease grates with oil using a paper towel held with tongs.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 554kcal | Carbohydrates: 56.1g | Protein: 33.8g | Fat: 21.2g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 369.1mg | Fiber: 4.9g | Sugar: 13.2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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