Variety is the spice of life! If you’re looking for a dish to liven up your weekday cooking repertoire then look no further than my Braised Moroccan Chicken recipe. This North African tagine-like dish is jam-packed with big and bold flavours that will wake up your taste buds!
Chicken thighs are coated in a flavour dense and aromatic blend of Moroccan spices - including ginger, paprika, coriander, cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper and cinnamon, before being nestled into a rich and flavourful braising liquid. Chicken stock, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, lemon, olives, dried fruit and fresh herbs combine to create a sweet, savoury and briny stew. All the ingredients combine to create the most mouthwatering and satisfying spoonful!
My Braised Moroccan Chicken recipe couldn’t be easier to make and comes together in just over a hour! Serve it alongside couscous, rice or cauliflower rice and enjoy! So, let me show you how it’s done. Grab a spoon and come and cook with me!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: 75 minutes
Serves: 6 - 8
Ingredients:
3 lbs boneless and skinless chicken thighs (See Notes below)
2 medium yellow onions, peeled, halved and cut into 1/4 inch slices
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 796mL (28 fl.oz) can fire roasted tomatoes (See Notes below)
1 540mL (19 fl.oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup low sodium chicken stock
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp lemon juice (approx. 1 small lemon)
1 cup green olives, drained (See Notes below)
3/4 cup dried apricots
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425F and set aside a 9” x 13” baking dish, with a 4L capacity.
To a large mixing bowl, add the chicken thighs, 3 Tbsp olive oil, ginger, paprika, coriander, cumin, turmeric, 3/4 tsp salt, pepper and cinnamon. Toss until well coated and set aside for at least 20 minutes to allow the chicken to come to room temperature.
To a large skillet, set over medium heat, add the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Once hot, add the onions and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Cook for 8 minutes or until softened and slightly caramelized.
To the baking dish, add the diced tomatoes, chickpeas, sautéed onions, chicken stock, garlic and lemon juice and mix until combined. Nestle the chicken thighs amongst the ingredients and top with olives, apricots, parsley and cilantro.
Cover and bake for 60 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.
Sprinkle lemon zest over top and serve and enjoy!
Notes:
Can’t Find Fire Roasted Tomatoes?: I love using fire roasted tomatoes in this recipe. There is something magical about the charring process - it adds a bold flavour and brings out the inherent sweetness of the tomatoes. But, if you can’t find them at your local grocer, then don’t fret! Simply substitute them on a 1:1 basis with canned diced tomatoes.
A Handful of Olives: You can use pitted or unpitted green olives in the recipe. It’s really dealers choice here! I love using Moresh harissa olives as they add incremental depth of flavour and heat to this dish. I’m feeling hot, hot, hot!
A Higher Internal Temperature Is Best: Although, boneless chicken thighs are cooked at 165F (74C), cooking the chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 195F (91C) will further tenderize the dark meat, making it oh-so tender, juicy and melt-in-your mouth delicious.