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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This is a family favorite! We have added so many new spices to our pantry thanks to your recipes. Thank you!!!!
I cannot say enough good things about every recipe I try here! My biggest hurdle in the past year has been finding foods that my two-year-old toddler will happily eat and everything we’ve made of Jenn’s has been a slam dunk, but I’m especially over the moon about this one. This has to be my first grilled chicken recipe I’ve ever found that pleases the whole family! Flavor is absolutely delicious, combination of spices is magnificent and it’s not so hot that it’s turned anyone off. My daughter absolutely gobbles it up, and she has refused to eat any kind of grilled chicken until this point (and I’ve tried them all!). This is a MAJOR victory for this mom and I hope it helps to encourage other parents whose little ones haven’t quite yet developed their refined palettes!
I just wanted to thank you. First, this recipe is amazing. Second, I never flattened my chicken but since reading a number of your recipes I have started. My chicken cooks so much nicer now.
Thanks Jenn. I am uncertain of the arrival time of my guests, can the chicken marinate longer without producing an over powered flavor?
Hi Janey, Yes, it’s fine.
Hi Jenn. If I purchased store bought chicken cutlets and prepare per the recipe, will they be as tender as pounding the breasts myself? I really don’t like pounding meat.
Hi Janey, I believe those cutlets are usually thinly sliced chicken breasts, so it’s not quite the same as pounding, which tenderizes the meat. That said, I think they will still be fine.
love this delicious recipe !I made it last night and my boy loved it!! Thank you
My family loved the the combination of spices! I don’t have a meat mallet but I used my rolling pin to hammer the chicken which worked just fine. It grills so nicely and is so flavorable. It makes great left overs too!
Hi Jenn,
This is a delicious recipe. I added some fresh cilantro and thinly sliced red onions to the marinade. My question is, can I use this same recipe on Skirt steak or Flank steak?
Thank you!!
Hi Ronak, Glad you enjoyed the chicken. The marinade would be delicious on steak.
I made this tonight for the first time. Had to make it in a grill pan because it was snowing outside and I couldn’t use my outdoor grill. The chicken was so delicious!! I might reduce the salt a little next time I make it but otherwise I loved the flavor. Can’t wait to make this again but next time on the grill.
Absolutely fantastic! Family loved it! This is going into rotation. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Jenn, You have a wonderful blog with fantastic recipes! The Moroccan chicken looks delicious and will be making it soon. I have often been told that letting chicken sit in ‘salted’ marinade can dry it out. Do you think I can get good results by leaving the salt out of the marinade and salting the chicken right before grilling? Would appreciate your thoughts on this on going ‘salt’ debate.
Hi Sindia, Thank you! I assure you, the salt won’t dry it out at all; definitely add it to the marinade for maximum flavor 🙂
This chicken is so delicious. The chicken came out so tender and flavorful. It is listed as an “Easy weeknight” dish under the menu tab. However, I think it is a great menu for guests, anytime.. I love that the carrot salad can be made ahead of time and the couscous comes together quickly. All my guests have loved it.
Yet another way to serve chicken breasts, uniquely different. It used all of our favorite spices. The directions w/pix are always very helpful, even to a seasoned cook like myself.
Actually, they aren’t enough stars to go around for most of the recipes I’ve tried this year. Thank you.
So nice, Judith. Thank you!
loved this recipe i cubed my chicken and made kabobs. i used peppers onions and mango’s it was a hit! thanks for the recipe
Great blend of favors and very tender but way too salty. I would suggest cutting the salt in half.
I have tried quite a few Moroccan style chicken recipes lately, and that’s definitely the best marinade. My husband absolutely loved the chicken, while he was somewhat skeptical about some other recipes. I followed the instructions for making the marinade to the letter except that I added 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Thank you!
Hi Jenn,
This recipe looks really simple and sounds absolutely delicious. I am a beginner in the kitchen. My question is if I had to put the chicken fillets in the oven, how long would I have to cook it for without it drying out?
Thanks
Hi Jivika, Preheat the broiler and set a rack about 5 inches from the top heating element, then broil 7-8 minutes per side.
This recipe was hit! My kids love it too! I only left out the cayenne because my kids are pretty sensitive to spicy food.
I made couscous using all the same spices (except cayenne) to one cup of couscous that I cooked in chicken broth and a tablespoon of butter. I just cut the spices in half, and added them them to the chicken broth before adding the couscous. That was delicious too!
Excellent recipe! I used chicken thighs (bones out and skins off) and added a couple of tablespoons of low fat youghurt to the marinade, then cooked them on the BBQ. Tasted amazing…
The first time I made this dish I found the marinade a little too sweet so the next time I added extra garlic and cayenne and enjoyed the results.
This is so easy with big flavor pay off.
I’ve been trying to find a recipe that uses these great antioxidant spices. I love that you can prepare the marinade ahead and even though I’m a picky adult I like it.
I made these chicken breast with the carrot slaw as suggested and my husband and I loved them-my boys wanted a little more kick so I might increase the cayenne pepper next time!
Great recipe…. very flavorful. This is the second time I made something from your website and it tasted GREAT! Thank you.
We loved this recipe! I served it to a large group of kids and adults along with your Warm Couscous Salad with Apricot Vinaigrette. Both were fantastic. I really didn’t make any adjustments, although my measuring spoons were probably all heaping, so I guess I went a little heavy on all of the spices! But the flavors were wonderful. Thank you so much for such great recipes. I know that anything I try from this website is always going to be good:)
I have made this three times, and each time received rave reviews! It’s full of flavor without being too spicy. Be sure to pound the chicken cutlets to 1/2″ thickness. This tenderizes the chicken, makes it easy to absorb the marinade, and
takes only 3 minutes each side.
Oh my gosh, Jenn!!! My family absolutely LOVED this dish! They wanted every drop on the plate. After taking his first bite, my husband said, and I quote: “are you kidding me?” My family always loves everything that I make, but today it went up another notch. The chicken was so moist! 2 things I did differently, I don’t have a grill so I cooked it in a pan, and didn’t cover it and cooked it in the marinade. the chicken soaked up all the marinade because I only used 12 oz of chicken. I didn’t have turmeric (we’re on a REAL tight budget right now), so I used some very mild curry powder which has turmeric in it and everything else was the same. I paired it with orzo pasta with sauteed red bell pepper and carmelized onions in it. I stumbled across your website by accident, but I’m so glad I did. I like how you lay out all the ingredients for us to see and give us each step along the way. It makes it less intimidating. I can understand why you want only to cook for your family. My husband said he’d pay for me to go to chef school because he said I’d do well, but I don’t want to work nights and work hard for people who may or may not appreciate my cooking. My family really appreciated tonight’s dinner and my husband asked me, “does her site have desserts too?” haha, he’s already waiting for the next course! thank you Jenn!!! Thank you.
Michelle, thanks for your review. I was wondering if I could make these without a grill and your comments and suggestions were very helpful!
Hi Geni,
Great!! I’m glad! I really enjoyed this recipe. I’m making it again tonight for dinner…hahaha…..)
Jenn, this was fabulous! I’ve made four of your recipes and all of them will become regular items at my home. It’s so refreshing to have discovered a food blog by a REAL chef! Other food blog recipes are hit and miss, mainly because they aren’t trained cooks. Love your site!
Thank you, Kerri!
This sounds fabulous…I’m going to use the marinade on a boneless leg of lamb. Have you ever had Houston’s couscous salad? It’s great and will be wonderful served with this…either with chicken or lamb as I’m going to make it.
I just discovered this website and can tell I’m going to love it! I’m a real foodie and cooking is my passion.
Thanks, Jenn!
I made this with the warm couscous salad and both were easy and exceptional. I couldn’t believe the difference pounding the chicken made. It was so tender. I will definitely be adding this one to the rotation!
This was absolutely delicious! I served it with the carrot slaw with cranberry recipe, also was very good. Will be making this again and again.
If I changed the sea salt to kosher salt would this be considered a kosher dish to serve at a seder??
Hi Robin, I believe almost all salts are kosher; you can tell for sure if it’s marked with a circled K or U on the label. And, yes, this dish would be kosher. You might also check out Chicken Marbella – I grew up having this dish every year for Passover. https://www.onceuponachef.com/2010/10/chicken-marbella.html
I made these and the chicken kebabs over Christmas vacation for the first time (fun getting the grill hot enough when it’s 20 degrees outside) and everyone loved them. The consensus though was that they liked the Moroccan Chicken best and if I could do the kebabs that way. So I did and they were really good.
I made basmati rice with garlic, coriander, cumin, cinnamon and turmeric in it to go with the chicken. It made a great side for the chicken.
I have made this several times with chicken breasts and we love it. So yesterday I made the spice and olive oil marinade and rubbed it under and over the skin of a whole chicken. After marinating for about an houir-90 min, I roasted it on my vertical roaster. Oh, my, it was fantastic! And imagine if I’d let it marinate several hours! The chicken was flavorful and moist and the skin, crispy. Divine!!!
Great idea, Marlene…I think I will try that!
This is my family’s favorite grilled chicken recipe. So easy and what great flavors!
I baked some tilapia with this seasoning and really enjoyed it. Thanks for posting!
Amazing! My whole family loved this, including my 6 year daughter who likes her food as plain as she can get it, nothing “spicy” as she puts it. Highly recommended, everyone wants it again!
I tried this recipe, would NOT change a thing. I also tried it with shrimp, delicious!! There is no need to buy any kind of barbeque sauce anymore-}:>)
We loved this marinade. I served it with tomato, corn and avocado quinoa salad.
I love this seasoning and usually make an extra seasoning packet to save for next time. I just tried this mix on baked haddock fillets and it was delicious!
Easy, savory and make great leftovers for lunch. I often serve with Israeli salad
Yummy! Will try with shrimp next.
Made this for dinner tonight, and it was delicious! There has not been one miss yet!
This is so easy and tasty! I am going to prepare the dry spice mix to have on hand and just add the garlic and oil as I need it. I think it would be goodman shrimp as well.
I meant good on shrimp! Darn autocorrect!
Made this with bonless chicken thighs..delicious.
Big hit with the family! Very easy and it has a delicious flavor! I served it with lemon cous cous with dried cranberries and apricots and haricot verts. Definitely on our make again list
Interesting recipe! Looking forward to trying this one!
Do you think this flavor combo would go well on salmon fillets, to be grilled, and what about large shrimp on the grill?
There are a few spices in here I don’t normally use, so not sure about the taste compatibility? I’d appreciate an opinion on this delimma!
Thanks!!
Hi Lorrae, I do think it’d work, especially with shrimp on the grill.
Made the Grilled Moroccan Chicken, using my stove-top cast iron grill pan. Very happy with the dish – the chicken was moist and had great flavor. Removed and reserved a little of the marinade (before adding the chicken to the marinade) and drizzled it on the chicken at the table. Also served the Carrot Slaw with Cranberries, Toasted Walnuts and Citrus Vinaigrette, which was equally good.
Loved this recipe. Served it with wild rice and broccoli. I think it will become a weekly thing!
Wow Beth, that sounds like a perfect combination!
Tried this recipe and it was delicious! I wouldn’t change a thing.
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