Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemon

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This Moroccan chicken recipe is wonderfully flavored! It's served with preserved lemon, green olives, and tomatoes. Pair it with couscous or rice for a fabulous meal.

It's a great recipe when you're looking to add more bold flavors to your dinner the whole family will enjoy. It comes together with juicy chicken, Moroccan spices tomatoes and a preserved lemon for the most amazing flavors. 

This Moroccan chicken recipe has all the flavors of a traditional Moroccan tajine, but it's not cooked in a tajine pot. Most of us don't have a tajine or a cone-shaped cooking pot at home, so we're using a Dutch oven or other oven-safe pot for this recipe.

The best thing about this dish is probably the preserved lemon. Preserved lemon is essentially a pickled lemon - it's used in North African cooking - and it has a lovely, briny citrus flavor. It adds a wonderful zing to the dish.

You can top this dish with fresh cilantro or parsley and serve with white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, plain couscous, or pearl couscous for a hearty and delicious meal. 

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this Moroccan chicken dish.

• Ras el Hanout spice mix - Ras el Hanout may also be called Moroccan spice blend. It's a wonderfully flavored mix with over a dozen spices. You can make your own, or buy a blend from the store. 
• Chicken thighs - Bone in and skin-on chicken thighs will have the best flavor. 
• Olive oil - You'll use olive oil to brown the chicken. If you prefer, you can use another neutral cooking oil like avocado or vegetable oil. 
• Yellow onion and fresh garlic - These aromatics will give this chicken a deep flavor. Don't skip them or replace them with dried ones. 
• Saffron - You only need a pinch of saffron. If you don't have any on hand, you can leave it out, but it adds a nice light smokiness.
• Tomato paste - Tomato paste will mix with the broth and aromatics to form the flavorful base of the stew. 
• Chicken stock - You can use stock or chicken broth for this recipe. 
• Cherry tomatoes - The tomatoes will cook to flavor the stew and provide a burst of flavor in each tomato bite. 
• Preserved lemon - Preserved lemons are lemons that are pickled in salt and their own juices. It's easy and worth it to make your own as they last a long time, but you can also purchase a jar. If you can't find them, you can use a little lemon zest instead, but I highly recommend the preserved lemons. 
• Green olives - Use pitted olives to save time and avoid pits in your dish. 
• Optional toppings - You can serve this dish with roughly chopped parsley or cilantro to top and serve with lemon slices.

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Moroccan Chicken

Here's how to make this recipe. It requires some time to cook in the oven, but this allows the chicken thighs to simmer and the flavors to come together.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Coat the chicken in the Ras el Hanout spice. 
3. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or other oven-safe, deep, large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add half the chicken skin side down and brown for 3 minutes, then flip and brown for another 2 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken and remove it from the pot. 
4. Add the onions to the pot with the leftover chicken juices and cook for 5 minutes or until translucent and slightly browned, stirring occasionally. 
5. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Then add the saffron and tomato paste and stir till combined. 
6. Add the chicken stock and cherry tomatoes. Then, nestle the chicken thighs in the pot, covering them with as much juice, tomatoes, and onions as possible. 
7. Cover the pot and put in the oven to cook for 20 minutes. 
8. Add the preserved lemon and green olives to the pot and cook, covered, for another 20 minutes. 
9. Serve the chicken with a side of rice or couscous and topped with optional cilantro or parsley. 

Tips for Making this Recipe

• You can make your own Ras el Hanout spice blend up to 2 months in advance. It's super useful and great in soups and as a rub on meat.
• I recommend serving the chicken alongside rice, couscous, or pearl couscous for a more substantial meal. Rice or couscous will also soak up some of the juices so you get all the flavor.
• If you use skinless chicken thighs or chicken pieces, adjust your cooking time accordingly. 
• This Moroccan-spiced chicken is even better the next day. It really soaks up the big flavors. 

Substitutions & Variations

• If you want to use different parts of the chicken, like legs or breasts, those will work too. Skin on and bone in will be the most flavorful.
• You can top this recipe with dried fruit, like raisins and apricots if you would like. 
• If you will be eating this dish as a stew, adding baby potatoes to the pot while it cooks can be a great addition. 

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The leftovers are delicious!

What to Serve with Moroccan Chicken

• This saucy dish is delicious on a bed of couscous or rice
• Grab your favorite greens and make a simple salad with this Citrus Honey Salad Dressing.
• Mediterranean Salad - This Mediterranean Summer Salad recipe is heavy on tomatoes, fresh herbs, and flavor.
• Arabic Salad - This traditional Arabic salad is full of fresh produce, like chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, with spices and herbs for a refreshing, delicious side dish.

More Delicious Middle Eastern Recipes to Try

If you like the flavors of this dish, check out some more delicious Middle Eastern dishes.

• The Best Fattoush Salad - If you like fresh ingredients and Mediterranean salads, you’re going to love this recipe. It's full of veggies and topped with a simple olive oil and lemon juice dressing.
• Hawaij Chicken Recipe - This is a wonderfully comforting combination of chicken, rice, and spice. It’s made with an amazing spice blend called hawaij.
• Turkish Chicken Kabobs - This easy grilled chicken recipe is marinated in a yogurt sauce with warm spices to give the chicken so much flavor. They're delicious and easy to make. 
• Mujaddara Recipe - A wonderful vegan recipe made with lentils, fried onions, and rice. Add some golden raisins to really make it special. It’s a Middle Eastern recipe that is total comfort food. 

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