Moroccan Chicken Breasts

This Moroccan Chicken Breast recipe is surprisingly simple, using a few basic ingredients to create a delicious, easy dinner.

The chicken breasts are marinated with spices and olive oil and then pan-fried until golden brown. The result is a fragrant dish loaded with flavor, perfect for a cozy night in or a dinner party with friends. 

This chicken breast recipe can be served with rice, couscous, roasted vegetables, or a side salad. Or, once cooked, you can chop the chicken and use it as a filling for wraps or sandwiches.

These notes are here to help make this recipe a success; they cover some but not all ingredients. For a complete ingredient list, check out the recipe card below.

Chicken breasts: The recipe uses large chicken breasts and cuts them horizontally into cutlets. This means they cook quickly and will stay juicy. You can buy cutlets from the grocery store and skip cutting them. (you can see a picture of this below)
Salt: Check your Spice blend. Some have added salt. If this is the case, don't add salt to the recipe.
Sugar: Check your Spice blend. Some have added sugar. If this is the case, don't add sugar to the recipe.
Moroccan spice blend: I use a homemade Moroccan spice blend, but you can buy Moroccan spice at most grocery stores. You can also use Ras el Hanout.
Garlic: The recipe suggests 3 cloves, but as with every recipe, measure garlic with your heart and add more or less to your tastes.

We've tested this recipe at least 3 times to ensure it works well for you. Have a look at our tips for getting the best dish you can!

• Cutting the chicken breasts into cutlets cooks them quickly and stay juicy. But don't overcook them. They will only need around 3 minutes on each side. 
• The chicken needs time to infuse with flavor; you can leave it for as little as 30 minutes. I like to give them at least 8 hours in the marinade, but you can leave it on for up to 48 hours.
• Most Moroccan spice blends contain sugar. This can burn if you cook the chicken over too high a heat. Stick with medium heat to ensure the chicken cooks through without getting too much color.
• Once cooked, place the chicken on a plate and tent with foil for 5 minutes to ensure it is tender. 

Why You'll Love These Moroccan Chicken Breasts

• They cook quickly and are packed with flavor.
• They go with so many different sides.
• It is economical as you can feed a family of four with just two chicken breasts, keeping your dinner budget-friendly.
• Leftovers are great in sandwiches or on wraps.

These are all just suggestions and things that have worked in our test kitchen, but it is your dinner, so adapt it to suit your family. That is the beauty of cooking; we can all create our own delicious meals.

• Replace the chicken breasts with chicken thighs. They will need longer to cook than the chicken breasts. 
• Add extra heat by adding some cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or chopped chilies to your marinade.
• For a fresh citrus note, add the zest of a lemon to the marinade. 

Sides: These Moroccan chicken breasts are versatile, working with many different sides. You could pair them with rice dishes like this Garlic Rice, or go for couscous. My Moroccan lemon couscous (coming next week) is perfect. A side of roasted vegetables or salad is always a good choice. This Moroccan tomato salad is fresh, quick, and easy.

Wine: The spices on the chicken lend themselves to red and white wine. The spices mean you could go with a dry white like a Semillion or a Sauvignon Blanc. But if you have added lemon to the dish, be careful that this doesn't overpower the freshness of the wine. In this case, a dry Reisling would be a good choice. With red wine, look for something with some body, like a Shiraz or an aged Rioja.