Moroccan Chicken features robustly seasoned chicken served on a bed of veggie-packed couscous, all topped with a flavorful apricot finishing sauce.
An Easy Moroccan Chicken
After visiting Morocco, I was blown away by their cuisine and the way they use fruits like apricots, dates, prunes, and raisins.
My favorite dish I tried there was apricot chicken, and I knew I had to recreate it when I got home. After some testing, I was amazed that I could bring those flavors to my own kitchen. So today, I’m excited to share a little bit of my travels with all of you to try!
What To Serve With Moroccan Chicken
At first glance, this recipe may seem overwhelming, but it’s a complete meal — veggie-packed couscous, flavorful grilled chicken, and apricot sauce to tie it all together. Each component is simple, and most of the mess stays outside with the grill!
Quick Tip
What is Moroccan food? Morocco is a melting pot country, full of influences from many different cultures; Moroccan food is the same. Morocco is located on the northern tip of Africa, so African and Mediterranean influences are strong, with the dishes containing lots of robust spices, nuts, fruits, grains…and flavor!
Moroccan Chicken Marinade
The marinade comes together quickly by mixing spices with olive oil, ginger, and garlic.
For frequent use, make extra spice “packets” in advance by measuring and storing batches of the spices in small bags or containers.
- Time savers for the marinade: Use Dorot® cubes for ginger and garlic, which can be kept in the freezer for easy use. Alternatively, try refrigerated garlic paste or minced garlic.
How To Cook Moroccan Chicken (Tips)
- Need a quick marinade? Even 20-30 mins works well. To speed it up, poke holes in the chicken with a fork to help the marinade soak into the meat.
- Flip the chicken while it marinates to make sure both sides soak up the flavor.
- Oil your grill grates well by rubbing oil-soaked paper towels along them with tongs. This helps get a nice sear and prevents the chicken from sticking.
- Use a digital thermometer to make sure it’s cooked right. Look for 160°F (carry-over heat will bring it to 165°F).
- Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes, covered with foil, before cutting. This lets the juices redistribute for juicier meat.
Apricot Sauce
This sauce is nothing short of addicting! It’s so quick to whip together and serves a dual purpose:
- The sauce adds loads of flavor to the couscous base.
- 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: Get the best quality you can find; we love Bonne Maman®, but Smucker’s® is also great. (Use leftovers in Mini Fruit Tarts).
- White wine vinegar: Softer and less sharp than white vinegar, so don’t mix them up.
- Dijon mustard: Not the same as yellow mustard — don’t swap them here.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Better olive oil improves the flavor! With so much in the sauce, couscous, and marinade, it really makes a difference.
- Salt & pepper: This whole Moroccan Chicken recipe needs seasoning, so it’s added to the 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.
Quick Tip
Want to make Moroccan Chicken with Raisins? Add 1/4 cup raisins when adding the chicken broth to the pot to bring to a boil. They’ll soften and plump up nicely!
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
Moroccan Chicken
Equipment
- Small blender or food processor
- Grill or grill pan
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 10 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons ginger paste
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup apricot preserves
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1-1/2 cups peeled and grated carrots 3 medium
- 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1-1/2 cups couscous see note 1
- 1 cup frozen peas
- fresh flat-leaf parsley optional
- 1 lemon optional
Instructions
- 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.
- In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup olive oil, the honey, minced garlic, ginger paste, paprika, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, 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. (see note 2).
- In a small blender or food processor, combine apricot preserves, Dijon, vinegar, and salt and pepper (I use 1/4 tsp salt and 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.
- Prepare couscous while heating the grill (see note 3). In a medium pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over high. Add grated carrots and sauté for 3 minutes. Add chicken broth, 1 tbsp olive oil, and salt (I use 1/2 tsp). Bring to a boil, then remove from heat, add the couscous, stir, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Dice parsley to get 1/4 cup. Fluff couscous with a fork, stir in frozen peas, 1/4 cup parsley, and 1/4 cup of the prepared sauce. Mix, taste, and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Place chicken breasts on the grill and spoon leftover marinade on top. Grill, covered, 2–5 minutes per side, depending on grill temperature and chicken thickness. Use a metal spatula to flip. After grilling, cover the chicken with foil and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
- 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I absolutely loved the Moroccan Chicken recipe! The blend of spices was incredible, and it made my kitchen smell amazing. I never would have thought to pair raisins with chicken, but it added such a delightful sweetness. Can’t wait to try more recipes from Chelsea’s Messy Apron!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks so much Vedma!
This Moroccan Chicken recipe looks absolutely delightful! I love the combination of spices and the vibrant colors. Can’t wait to try it out for dinner this week! Thanks for sharing such a delicious dish!
Thanks so much! I’m excited for you to try it!
I just tried the Moroccan Chicken recipe, and it was a hit! The blend of spices is absolutely incredible. Perfectly paired with couscous. Thanks for sharing this amazing dish!
So thrilled to hear this! Thanks for your comment!
This Moroccan Chicken recipe looks absolutely delicious! I love how you’ve combined all those vibrant spices. Can’t wait to try it out for dinner this week!
Thanks! I can’t wait for you to try it!
Made this tonight and it was even better than I hoped – and we had night expectations. I was only able to marinade the meat for an hour but it turned out flavourful and juicy.
So happy to hear this! Thanks for your comment Erika! 🙂