Moroccan Inspired Spiced Chicken
These Moroccan Inspired Spiced Chicken thighs are incredibly easy to make and packed with flavor! Coated with a homemade spice blend and a drizzle of charred lemon, they are a wonderful weeknight dinner option.
Juicy, Spiced Chicken Thighs for the Win
Chicken may not always sound like the most exciting dinner option to everyone, but we think it can be just as full of flavor as other proteins. And we promise these chicken thighs are sensational. We love using chicken thighs because they stay moist, juicy, and have tons of flavor. Using boneless skinless thighs in this recipe makes it even easier as it cuts down some of the cooking time.
Cooking the chicken thighs in a cast iron braiser or pan (we use an enameled cast iron braiser) also helps them develop a lot of color and flavor on the outsides, even without skin. If you don’t have cast iron, you can also cook them in a stainless steel pan or even a non-stick. If using stainless steel, just be sure to use enough oil so that they don’t stick too badly.
Moroccan Inspired Flavors
Moroccan food is known for its diverse flavors and delicious combination of spices. Moroccan dishes may be accentuated with the use of turmeric, pepper, cumin, ginger, and sometimes cinnamon.
We use all of these spices in this recipe and have added ground cloves for additional warmth and nutty flavor, a little sugar for balance and caramelization, and salt and black pepper. We love to squeeze lemon over the top of the chicken for an elevated protein dish that is spiced with warm, bold flavors and bright citrus.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Qualifies as both “quick” AND “easy.” We know people love recipes that are quick and easy, but not all things that are quick are easy to make, and not all easy recipes come together quickly. We love this recipe because it satisfies BOTH criteria. It’s easy to make and comes together in under a half hour, including prep time.
- Simple ingredients. Tons of flavor. This dish really is just chicken, lemons, optional parsley, and some spices that you may already have in your home. Most, if not all, of the spices called for in this recipe can be used in many other dishes. Spices also last quite a while in your pantry, so they’re a good investment when it comes to cooking flavorful foods.
- One-pan recipe. Other than a bowl in which you’ll need to mix your spices with the chicken, this entire recipe uses one braiser or pan. This makes clean-up a cinch, which is always a good thing.
Ingredients in This Moroccan Inspired Spiced Chicken
To make this chicken dish, you’ll need chicken, spices, and lemons. The great thing about these spices is that they’re useful in many different dishes, so they’re good to keep on hand for all kinds of recipes.
You’ll need the following ingredients for this chicken dish:
- Chicken – you’ll need boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. You could use chicken breasts if you can’t find thighs, but they won’t be as juicy. If you use bone-in thighs, you may need to adjust the cook time because they’ll take longer to cook through.
- Spices – for the spice blend, you’ll need ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground cloves, turmeric powder, sugar, salt, and black pepper.
- Lemon – we love the bright freshness that lemon adds to this chicken. For even more depth of flavor, we like charring the lemon in the pan with the chicken. This gives it a more roasted taste and makes the lemon even juicier.
- Olive oil – you’ll need a little olive oil for coating and cooking the chicken. You could also use your favorite neutral oil instead, if you prefer.
- Parsley – we love to add chopped parsley at the end as a garnish for the chicken. The spices make the chicken a little red in color and the pop of green is really pretty and fresh. You could leave this out if you want, though.
How to Make This Moroccan Inspired Spiced Chicken
To make this chicken, first mix all of the spices together in a bowl. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil on the chicken thighs, then coat them with the spice mixture.
Heat the oil in a braiser or sauté pan until hot, then add the chicken thighs. Cook the chicken for 5 to 7 minutes over medium high heat on the first side, then flip each chicken thigh over. Add the lemon halves to the pan, cut side down.
Cook the chicken and the lemons for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and has an internal temperature of 165F and the lemons are charred.
Remove the chicken and the lemon halves from the braiser or pan. Squeeze the lemons over the cooked chicken and garnish with parsley.
Moroccan Inspired Spiced Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 lemon cut in half
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Mix all of the spices together in a bowl.1 tsp ground ginger, 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp sugar
- Drizzle 1 Tbsp of olive oil on the chicken thighs, then coat them with the spice mixture.1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Heat the oil in a braiser or sauté pan until hot, then add the chicken thighs. Cook the chicken over medium high heat for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Flip each chicken thigh over and add the lemon halves to the pan, cut side down.1 lemon
- Cook the thighs and lemons for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and has an internal temperature of 165°F and the lemons are charred.
- Remove the chicken and the lemon halves from the braiser or pan.
- Squeeze the lemons over the cooked chicken and garnish with parsley.Chopped parsley
Made this tonight. Very simple, with all the ingredients (except the chicken) very much in the kitchen already. The flavors just pop in your mouth. I do have a question, what would you two suggest to pair with this dish? I was not sure about the pairing given the ingredients that were used. Thank you so much for another great dish.
So glad you liked it! We love serving this with a grain or starch like rice, quinoa (cook it in veggie or chicken broth instead of water for extra flavor), or potatoes, and a veggie (like broccoli or roasted carrots) or a side salad. The chicken is so flavorful that you can serve it with fairly simple sides.
That looks so good. 🙂
Thank you! We really enjoyed making (and eating, obviously) this recipe. Hope you try it!