Grilled Moroccan Chicken
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The spices in this grilled chicken recipe are reminiscent of ras el hanout, a North African spice blend that usually contains over a dozen spices.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
First posted on this site in 2012, this grilled Moroccan chicken is an oldie but a goodie! The spices used in the marinade echo the flavors of ras el hanout, a North African spice blend that contains over a dozen spices, like cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, cardamom, allspice, fenugreek, and more. Not only is this dish a hit with the whole family – yes, even the little ones – but it’s also a breeze to prepare. The bonus? Minimal clean-up! Pair the chicken with plain couscous or my warm couscous salad with apricot vinaigrette.
What You’ll Need To Make Grilled Moroccan Chicken
Step-by-step instructions
Begin by pounding the chicken breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness.
This both tenderizes the meat and ensures even cooking. Left in their natural shape, the thin side of the fillet dries out while the thicker side finishes cooking.
Next, make the marinade by combining the olive oil, spices, salt, garlic and sugar in a bowl or directly in a sealable plastic bag.
Mix well.
Place the chicken and marinade in a freezer bag, press the air out, and then massage the marinade into the chicken until the breasts are evenly coated. Marinate in the fridge for at least 5 hours or overnight.
When you’re ready to eat, preheat your grill to high. It’s important that the grill is very hot — you want nice grill marks and char in the short amount of time it takes to cook these.
Grill just a few minutes per side for perfectly tender chicken breasts.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
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Grilled Moroccan Chicken
The spices in this grilled chicken recipe are reminiscent of ras el hanout, a North African spice blend that usually contains over a dozen spices.
Ingredients
- 1½ to 1¾ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or chicken tenderloins)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts between 2 pieces of wax or parchment paper and, using a meat mallet, pound to an even ½-inch thickness. (Skip this step if substituting chicken tenderloins.)
- Mix all ingredients except chicken together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Place pounded chicken breasts inside a 1 gallon zip-lock bag. Add marinade to the bag, press air out and seal shut. Massage marinade into the breasts until evenly coated. Place the bag in a bowl in the refrigerator (to protect against leakage), and let the chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 5 hours or overnight.
- Clean grill and preheat to high. Place chicken breasts on grill, spooning marinade over top. Grill, covered, for 2-3 minutes per side. Do not overcook.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 344
- Fat: 19g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 3g
- Sugar: 1g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 40g
- Sodium: 798mg
- Cholesterol: 118mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Agree with Liz. Make extra so you can put in your salad the next day and extra dry spice mix for the future. This is a great, versatile recipe that I have made many times-always with chicken tenders-you don’t have to pound them and they cook faster and stay moister.
Everybody in my family loved this recipe. It was extremely easy to throw together, and we served it with whole wheat couscous and a side salad for an extremely healthy meal. That knife set looks so much better than ours…
Loved the Moroccan chicken. Easy to make and my family loved it.
I’ve made this several times now. Obviously, we love it. I mix the same spices into some mayo and make a great sandwich with the leftovers. I’ve used chicken tenderloins with this which cuts down on the prep time with great success. Thanks for another great recipe!
so deliciously simple. even a 2 hour marinade gives great flavor. i agree with DavidB, goes well with a yogurt dipping sauce or some orzo/risotto. very flavorful; tenderized the chicken before also helps keeps it more moist. my Indian mother in law always uses a little yogurt in her marinades, too…tenderizes and makes the meat very moist.
These were good but a little dry when I made these. I whipped up a yogurt dipping sauce (non-fat greek yogurt, garlic, salt, pepper, and dashes of the same spices in the rub for the chicken) and that did the trick.
NOM. NOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOM! I made this last night. Super easy, extremely flavorful. I had to share the link with some colleagues today at work! One thing- I made it with fresh ginger because I didn’t see it specified in the recipe….(then of course I saw the powdered ginger in the picture). No matter, it was delicious.
Made this last night with boneless chicken thighs. The flavor was amazing! Never try Moroccan dishes, but this just looked soooo good. My husband and I really loved it. I didn’t have tumeric so I used ground mustard (looked on web to see what I could substiute and that was a choice).Can’t wait to make it again and share with friends.
it all sounds great, I can’y wait to try it.
Opps! I mixed up my cayenne pepper and paprika! Sure glad my husband likes it hot!