Grilled Moroccan Chicken
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This Moroccan chicken gets its bold flavor from a quick North African–style marinade—and it’s as easy as it is family-friendly.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
First posted on this site in 2012, this grilled Moroccan chicken is one of my longtime favorites. The marinade is inspired by ras el hanout, a North African spice blend with more than a dozen spices—think cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, cardamom, allspice, fenugreek, and more. It’s a family favorite (even the kids love it), and it couldn’t be easier to make. Best of all, there’s hardly any clean-up. I like to serve it with couscous, especially my warm couscous salad with apricot vinaigrette.
“I’m back to make this recipe for a 3rd time because it is so easy and delicious!”
What You’ll Need To Make Grilled Moroccan Chicken
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or tenderloins): Lean, quick-cooking, and the perfect blank canvas for soaking up the marinade’s flavor.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Helps carry the flavors of the spices, keeps the chicken moist, and encourages a nice char on the grill.
- Salt and sugar: Salt seasons the chicken all the way through; sugar adds balance and helps the exterior caramelize just a bit.
- Garlic: Adds a punch of savory, aromatic flavor that complements the warm spices.
- Paprika, cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon & cayenne pepper: A mix inspired by ras el hanout—a North African spice blend—bringing warmth, depth, and a little kick.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Pound the chicken. Pound the chicken breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness. This tenderizes the meat and helps it cook evenly—otherwise the thin end can dry out while you wait for the thicker end to finish.
Step 2: Make the marinade. In a bowl or a large zip-top bag, combine the olive oil, spices, salt, garlic, and sugar. If using a bag, seal it and gently smoosh it around until everything’s evenly mixed.
Step 3: Marinate. Add the chicken to the bag with the marinade, press out the air, and seal. Massage the marinade into the chicken until it’s evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours, or overnight for the best flavor.
Step 4: Grill. When you’re ready to cook, preheat the grill to high—you want it very hot to get those beautiful grill marks and a bit of char in the short cooking time. Grill the chicken for just a few minutes per side, until perfectly tender and cooked through (the internal temperature should reach 165°F).
More Easy Chicken Recipes with Big Flavor
Grilled Moroccan Chicken
Ingredients
- 1½ to 1¾ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (or chicken tenderloins)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, 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-in (13-mm) 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 to 3 minutes per side. Do not overcook.
Nutrition Information
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 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!