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!
This is just perfect. My family would reject anything called “Moroccan” so it will be called simply grilled chicken with herbs. Amazing. No changes needed. This will definitively be in the monthly rotation.
My girlfriend is comming in from Calif. and I am making this dish. I’ll let you know how it turned out LuvYa!
Amazing flavor combination. Paired well with mashed sweet potatoes.
My daughter find this for us recently when we visited her and it was delicious!
i made this on saturday and loved the flavor of the marinade, it was perfect. we also had the carrot slaw and some tater tots heated up on the grill. tater tots are totally underrated.
Another wonderful recipe – thank you so much! I’m always looking for new chicken recipes, and this one is now one of our favorites!
Love, love, Love, Made it just as given and I will make this again!
We made this for Father’s Day dinner, and as suggested, served with couscous and the grated carrot salad, in addition to some grilled zucchini. The chicken turned out so tender and flavorful – love the hint of cinnamon! It was a big hit with Dad and the teens! (We had very few leftovers.) I don’t have a meat mallet, so I raided my husband’s workbench and used a rubber mallet wrapped in a plastic bag. This worked like a charm and I think is key to the tenderness of the chicken. Thank you for such an easy, tasty recipe – definitely will do again!
I made this on Wed.—-it was delicous! I always grill boneless skinless chicken in the summer. Great recipe for a different flair. I found that if one replaces olive oil for grapeseed oil, you will have good flavor, good health benefits, and a better heat resistance , for the high heat grilling }:>)
I made this marinade the other day and I thought it was absolutely delicious. It’s a little spicy but also a little sweet so I think it had a nice balance to it. Although, instead of grilling it (I’m not a big fan of grilling, there’s too much smoke floating around for me) I baked it for about 45 minutes and then I broiled it for another 10-15 minutes to give more of a grilled look. My family really liked it which surprised me since they are pretty picky. I will definitely make this again someday.
The Moroccan chicken paired with asparagus Dijon salad was absolutely so scrumptious, it would have made the Iron Chef or Gordon Ramsey proud!!!!! Three days later I used the same recipe, only used beef shot ribs. My guests thought they were dining in a 5 ***** restaurant!!! Thank you for sharing this culinary delight.!!!
Lovely marinade. Because I have small children who wouldn’t at this stage eat the chicken in large pieces, I cut it into slivers and stir-fried it, then added a sauce of pears stewed in cinnamon and rosé wine, pureéd it and added the sauce to the chicken stir-fry, making it a moist, fragrant dish that they would eat. Even my husband had seconds, and he’s quite fussy! Thanks for this wonderfully easy and delicious recipe!
made recipe as is…excellent..we will make again I served with carrot slaw..
I’ve made this (with a similar recipe) before to rave reviews. This time, I used your recipe and just substituted pork chops (pounded, of course). The results were amazing and delicious! My family is already asking for it again next week. I will be making this again and again! Easy and so yummy!!
Yum! Can’t wait to try this one next. So far every recipe i have tried on this website have been great!
This looks like a great recipe! Gonna try it tonight. Yum…Yumm
I prepared this last night. Delicious and very flavorful. Made a double batch of chicken to slice and serve on salad tonight. Also made an extra “Moroccan Chicken Dry Spice Mix” to prep even faster next time. Thanks, Jenn!
Extra spice mix… What a great idea!
Made just as written… one of the best grilled chicken recipes I’ve ever used… will use again to make a chicken and pasta salad… served with couscous this last time.
can’t wait to try this.
Is there an alternative to cooking this (in the oven possibly) on those days that I am not up to firing up the grill?
Hi Joanne, You could try an indoor grill pan.
Would you suggest a George Foreman over pan-searing then finishing in the oven?
Definitely
The chicken was so moist and tender. Not big cinnamon lovers, so I only used 1/8 tsp worked out great. Going to see how it baked in oven next time.
This was delicious and incredibly easy. Both of my kids (7 and 9) really enjoyed along with us. My suggestion: the longer you marinate the better! I left it all day and the flavor was fantastic. I also went very light on the cayenne (just a sprinkle) since I have kids; but i’m sure the extra spice would have made it even better.
I made this on Saturday and my boys LOVED it 🙂 It was one that was saved and put in our recipe box 🙂 Very easy to make in the morning, let it marinate and then grill that night! Thanks for sharing!
I added some lemon zest and thought the whole recipe was fabulous and exotic!
I made this for Father’s Day and it was a huge hit! I served it with your carrot slaw (with walnuts & cranberries) and Ina’s moroccan couscous. All of the dishes went really well together – would definitely make again!
The flavor of this marinade was delicious. Big hit with my family. Will definitely make this again. Thanks!
Loved the spices in this.
I love the simplicity of this recipe and can’t wait to try it.
That you so much! I loved this! I made it exactly as you recommended except that I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breast. It’s easier to control the moistness of the meat with thighs. I did pound them as you suggested which made for some quick grilling. This recipe was so delicious, I’ve put it into my “YUM” file (only the best make the cut).
Don’t walk away; definitely, do not overcook.
Agreed, this has been terrific for summer grilling and a new family favorite. The tumeric and cinnamon are key, I think.
Love throwing in a ziplock in the morning, and then just throw on the grill. I like to grill romaine lettuce & peach halves to go with!
This is the perfect recipe for the grilling season. I love how easy it is to marinate the chicken in the zip lock bag. The Moroccan flavor is wonderful, it is a fun and exotic recipe…definitely new flavors to me and I love it.
Always looking for good chicken recipes. This sounds like it could be a keeper.
Thank you, Jenn!! I will do that Saturday!
I loved this easy recipe that made the chicken taste like you slaved all day making! haha now, I’m wondering what you all think about using this marinade on beef short ribs.
Hi Joyce, Glad you enjoyed. I think it’d be great on short ribs.
What is a good substitute for cayenne pepper? Mother is allergic to cayenne.
Hi Dana, Just leave it out…you won’t miss it. Otherwise you can use a pinch of red pepper flakes or hot sauce if you want the heat.
I love how easy this seems to make – but looks so fancy. Yum!
Sounds yummy. I am going to experiment by adding some lemon juice and zest to the marinade and use it on a side of salmon.
Once again, you saved my day! Scrumptious!
I’ve recently discovered that grilling with grape seed oil works better than with olive oil — in every recipe I try. Just wanted to share that with you. 🙂
What’s the difference between the two? Also, have you tried this recipe? Is 3 minutes per side really long enough? I thought you had to cook chicken up to about 160 degrees for it to be safe.
Brenda
Hi Brenda, When you pound the breasts thin like I do here, that’s all the time they need on a very hot grill.
Olive oil is fine, as long as you don’t overheat it. If you need to cook with a higher temperature, switch to grapeseed oil.
If you use too high a temperature with olive oil, it changes the composition of the oil and also the flavor, and it’s not good to do that to it.
That doesn’t happen with grapeseed oil.