We eat a lot of chicken thighs in this house, so I am forever plotting up new ways to cook them. This Moroccan Chicken is officially going into the regular rotation.
One Skillet Moroccan Chicken
This type of dish is traditionally cooked in a tagine (and the dish itself is also called a tagine). If you have one of those, by all means use it! I personally don’t, and am guessing many of my readers don’t either.
The alternative is using a high sided large skillet with a lid. If you don’t have one of those, you can use a dutch oven.
In case you’re wondering, I love this chicken with a glass of Clean Crafted Rosé.
There’s lots of flavor in this one skillet chicken recipe, especially if you marinate if overnight. I didn’t, because I needed to make and photograph the dish, and it was still really great. But I recommend you do.
This chicken will still be tasty without the preserved lemons, but I don’t want you to skip them. They add an undeniable umami-packed citrusy salty punch that you really can’t get from anything else. They’re easy to make, and available in Middle Eastern markets, and probably any market that has a good specialty section. (Whole Foods has them.)
This dish is equally great made with both bone-in, skin-on thighs, and a whole cut up chicken. It just depends on what your household prefers!
How to cut up a chicken:
Pro tip: the best way to mince garlic is with a microplane. If you don’t have a microplane, I want you to treat yo self and get one. You’ll use it all the time. For garlic, for ginger (peel it and store it in the freezer!). For hard cheeses, for zesting citrus…
Aren’t one skillet recipes the best? Here are some more:
- Gingery Chicken with Shiitakes & Cabbage
- Puttanesca Poached Cod
- Chile Basil Pork
- Pasta with Shrimp, Peas & Pancetta
One Skillet Moroccan Chicken
One skillet, lots of flavor.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus time to marinate
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 65 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: once skillet, chicken
- Method: braise
- Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (use a microplane if you have one)
- zest and juice of one lemon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 6 large or 8 small bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Or one chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 4 small or 2 large carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup olives, pitted and halved*
- rind of one preserved lemon, sliced into thin strips
- handful parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a dish large enough to fit the chicken, mix together the minced garlic, lemon zest, sea salt, paprika, cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
- Add the chicken to the dish and rub all over with the spice paste.
- Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to cook, Heat a large high sided skillet that has a tight fitting lid over medium heat, and add the 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the chicken, skin side down and cook until it is golden brown – do not mess with it! If it sticks, it’s not ready. As the chicken skin browns, remove it to the dish it was marinating in.
- Once all the chicken is browned and removed to the dish, add the onions and carrots to the skillet. Cook until the onions are browned and softened, about 6-8 minutes. If the browned bits on the bottom of the pan start to get too dark, add a bit of chicken broth to keep them from burning.
- Stir in the lemon juice and chicken broth. Nestle in the chicken thighs, skin side up. Scatter over the olives and preserved lemon.
- Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through to 165ºF
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
*If you have olives with pits, here’s how to remove them: Place the olive on the counter and press firmly with the heel of your hand. The pit will smoosh out and the olive will be easy to tear in half. Don’t worry about them being too uniform, rustic is good.
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Anna S says
This was delicious! Followed the recipe to the letter, except left out the carrots. Very authentic flavor and everyone raved about it. Thank you!!
zenbelly says
Thanks, Anna! So glad to heat it was a hit!
mikal krauss says
wonderful and authentic tasting…served over Israeli couscous for husband and cauliflower mash for me…happy to have leftovers two days later reheat well Will definitely make again
zenbelly says
So glad to hear it, Mikal!
Gayle St. Luise says
Made the preserved lemons last month for tonights dinner – it was delicious & my husband just went back for seconds! Thank you! I used black olives which were boring, will change it up next next time 🙂
zenbelly says
So glad to hear it! Thanks, Gayle!
Marcia Little says
Thank you for this great, easy recipe. We had it tonight, and it was delicious!
Susan says
Chef Simone, Happy New Year! I LOVE Moroccan ANYTHING and I have some leftoverpre-cooked chicken breasts, so I’m thinking of trying this by using your recipe. But since it’s too late to marinate, I’m thinking of adding the spice mix to the carrots and onions after they’ve been cooking for a few minutes, then when veg is done, adding in the liquids and cooking and adding the chicken (maybe cut into large chunks to absorb the flavors), olives and peel for just a few minutes at the end, enough to warm them. Hopefully that will work, even if not as perfect as marinating.
BTW, I love that you’ve been experimenting with sourdough! I’ve been making 100% Einkorn organic sourdough for a few years now, and I wild crafted the starter. I’ve made everything from rustic loaves, sandwich bread, bagels, focaccia, crumpets and more! I saw that you made it recently with 1/3 oil and honey (how much?) — when did you add those 2 ingredients? I’m assuming when you mixed the dough? A really awesome sourdough website is The Perfect Loaf in case you haven’t found it yet. Maurizio is amazing!
zenbelly says
Hi Susan,
That sounds good!
I added the oil and honey when I mixed the dough, I just added it when I added the flours to the starter. I didn’t add the honey, just squeezed some in, probably a couple tablespoons. I’ll check out that site, thanks!
Lisa says
I followed this recipe and it is delicious!!! I used leg quarters and cut them into legs and thighs. I marinated for about5 hrs. The amount of Fresh lemon was perfect and not bitter. A great way to use my preserved lemons!
Denise says
Is there any reason not to continue cooking on stove rather than putting in oven? Thanks!
Jennifer says
I’m confused. The recipe says to cook on low heat on the stove top for 20 to 25 minutes. If it’s better to cook it in the oven, what temperature should the oven be? I’m making this dish tomorrow night, and was hoping for some clarification. Thanks!
Joy DeNicola says
This recipe is phenomenal. I have made this several times and often for guests, and everyone I have made it for has absolutely loved it. It is rich, delicious and extremely flavorful. The complexity of flavors are typically something many people are unfamiliar with and it truly wows them. The chicken turns out so tender and moist and the sauce is a masterpiece! Thank you so much. This is one of my favorite dishes.
Naomi Norwood says
Oh, my. This is really good. I made it exactly, with a fresh Meyer lemon for the zest and juice and one of my own (quite aged) preserved Meyers, and pitted Kalamatas. It took lots of disciple to eat only four of the thighs, two each, so there would be four more for another dinner. I’m definitely making this for guests. Thank you!