Moroccan Chicken with Ras El Hanout, garlic, and lemon – a simple North African recipe, bursting with flavor! Fast and easy!
Looking for a recipe for Moroccan Chicken? Look no further! While organizing my spice drawer a few weeks ago, I found the Ras El Hanout spice blend I purchased in a winding little spice market in Marrakech. I had forgotten all about it!
While in Marrakech, we experienced some of the most flavorful Moroccan Chicken at a street vendor, who was grilling up chicken kabobs to the locals. He seasoned the chicken with Ras El Hanout. Simple yet amazing!
I decided to replicate grilled Moroccan Chicken and wanted these spices to shine through, therefore I kept it very simple. It turned out flavorful, juicy with layers of complexity from all the different spices.
If unfamiliar, Ras El Hanout is a blend of spices (most often ginger, coriander, cumin, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, turmeric, pepper, paprika) that varies from region to region in the Northern countries of Africa- Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria often used to season tagines, stews and meats. No two are the same.
In Arabic, ras el hanout translates to “top shelf”, originating from North African spice dealers who would blend the very best of their spices, to create an aromatic “signature” blend—sometimes upwards of 30-40 spices! I wish I could tell you the exact spices in the blend I found in Marrakech, but my palate is not that discerning. It tasted so layered and nuanced, lovely!
And YES, you could absolutely turn this grilled Moroccan Chicken into kebabs which would grill up beautifully! Which was my plan, until I realized we had no skewers. So plan B. Either way, delicious, I promise!
Toss the chicken with the flavorful Ras El Hanout paste, then grilled it and keep it warm in the oven until ready to serve. So very easy. Using chicken thighs ensures the chicken stays moist and juicy.
Serve the Moroccan Chicken with a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle with fresh parsley and mint just before serving.
Moroccan Chicken- a quick and flavorful dinner. Serve with Fluffy Basmati Rice (or everyday quinoa, or cauliflower rice) and Grilled Veggies or a big leafy green salad.
Related! 20 Grilling Recipes from around the Globe!
PrintMoroccan Chicken Recipe with Ras El Hanout
Grilled Moroccan Chicken with Ras El Hanout, garlic and lemon – a simple healthy recipe, using skinless chicken thighs, bursting with North African flavor! Delicious, fast and easy!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Chicken, main, grilled
- Method: grill
- Cuisine: moroccan
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons ras el hanout spice blend
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- lemon zest from one small lemon, plus juice for the end
- parsley or mint for garnish
Instructions
Pre-heat the grill to medium-high.
Make a paste with the olive oil, ras el hanout, salt, garlic and lemon zest, mixing together in a small bowl.
In a medium bowl, toss the paste with the chicken, coating all sides well. You could do this a day before and refrigerate.
Grill the thighs over medium-high heat, getting good grill marks on both sides. Move to a cooler side of grill, cover, and grill until cook through ( to 170 F), or place in a warm 350F oven to finish.
Right before serving, Squeeze with lemon and sprinkle with fresh herbs (mint and/or parsley).
Notes
If baking, bake on a sheet pan, on the middle rack, uncovered in 425F oven for 30-35 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165 F.
Keywords: moroccan chicken, moroccan chicken recipe, grilled moroccan chicken, ras el hanout chicken, ras el hanout recipes, best moroccan chicken
So quick and yummy! We ran out of ras el hanout that we bought in Morocco. Your recipe for the spice blend is perfect!
★★★★★
Great to hear, thanks Teresa!
I have no access to a grill in my downtown condo but started this on sauté in my Instant Pot, pressure cooked it for 4 minutes and finished it on sauté. It was delicious! I did a relish with carrot, red onion and a bit of rice vinegar and topped it with a yogurt, dill and honey sauce.
★★★★★
Love this Beth- way to get creative!!! So proud of you. And great to know others can do this too!
So delicious and flavorful, we made these again as soon as we could. I’m curious if it would taste good with some type of yogurt sauce on the side as well!
★★★★★
Awesome Skye, glad you liked it!
Snd yes, i think it would be great with something yogurty- tzatziki would be yummy.
Delicious! Made for company – everyone loved it! I seared on grill to get marks then transferred to oven. Yum!
★★★★
Made this last night for dinner and everyone loved it. I served it with corn on the cob, watermelon and cucumber salad and a shirataki noodle stir fry. The entire dinner fit together perfectly for a hot summer night. I would have loved to see if the chicken would have tasted better the next day but there were no leftovers! Another winner Sylvia!
★★★★★
Thanks Trudy! Appreciate it!
I really want to make this for some friends who have just had a baby but wondered, how would I need to adapt the cooking time and temp for ‘boned’ thighs?
★★★★★
I would just give them a good sear on the grill- deep grill marks on each side- and finish in a 400 F oven (uncovered) until cooked through (internal temp 170F).
This recipe looks really good! My favorite part is that is looks pretty easy to make. I think it’ll be a food recipe to add to my meal prep. Thanks!
★★★★★
Easy and out of this world! Whole family enjoyed!
★★★★★
Made this tonight in the oven! Propane was out on the grill and I already had the chicken marinating in the fridge. Out of this world delicious!!! Thanks so much for your inspiring recipes!
Thanks Missy! I appreciate this so much and so glad you liked it!!! Hey If you get a chance could you rate the recipe? (using the “stars”?) Thanks… it helps Google find it. 😉
Absolutely!!! 5 stars hands down. Already sent the link to some friends!
★★★★★
Please provide details of how to bake in oven.
★★★★★
Done!
I used to have ras el hanout but I ran out of it. Trader Joe’s used to carry it but they no longer do. Do you know where we could get some of this locally, I live in Spokane.
I wonder if Huckleberries has it? Or bulk section of Rosauers? I will put a recipe out for it in the next day or so!
This one is a winner in my kitchen!!! I absolutely love it.
Thanks Victor!
Do you have a recipe for the Ras El Hanout paste?
Yes, putting it on this weekend!