Moroccan Grilled Chicken Breasts

If you’re looking for ways to spice up boring old chicken breast, this grilled moroccan chicken is bursting with flavor thanks to a delicious and easy marinade!

Chicken breast is such a lean and healthy protein. As far as meat goes, though, it’s definitely on the blander side.

But this can be a good thing! Where other meats like pork or steak have enough flavor on their own, chicken’s mild flavor means it can really benefit from strong spices.

This recipe is a great example. Adding bold flavors like mint, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, and cardamon are what makes this moroccan grilled chicken so delicious!

And the recipe is so easy to prep. Simply mix together the ingredients for the marinade, add the chicken breast, let it marinate for a few hours, then grill it up.

The result is juicy, tender chicken breast that is bursting with delicious flavor! This may become one of your go-to dinners for busy weeknights.

Making Grilled Moroccan Chicken Breasts

This recipe calls for quite a few ingredients, but it only takes minutes to combine them into a tasty and flavorful dish.

Marinate the chicken

1. Prep the onion. Chop the onion with a mandolin slicer or very sharp knife into thin slices.  Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion slices with a dash of salt and let them sweat for 2-3 minutes. Once the slices start to turn translucent, add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute. Remove from heat.
2. Mix marinade seasonings. Add ground cumin, ground coriander, and cinnamon to a large bowl. Next, add salt, turmeric, paprika, cilantro, the cooked onion and garlic, mint, olive oil, and the juice from half a lemon. Mix everything well. If necessary, you can add a cup of chicken stock or water.

3. Marinate the chicken. Combine marinade mixture with a cup of chicken stock or water. Then add the chicken breasts and coat with marinade. Cover or place in zipper bag and refrigerate for 2-4 hours to marinate.

Grill the chicken

1. Remove meat from marinade. Once you’re ready to cook, remove the chicken from the marinade. Let as much of the liquid drip off the chicken as possible and lightly pat it down.
2. Grill until fully cooked. Cook the chicken on a hot grill or grill pan for 5-7 minutes per side until the chicken is cooked throughout.

Your tender, juicy, flavorful chicken is now ready to serve!

Shortening the Prep Time

This recipe is quite easy to throw together. All you have to do is mix together the moroccan chicken marinade, add the chicken, wait for a few hours, then grill it all up!

Ideally, you want the chicken marinating for at least 2 hours to fully soak up the flavors. This is going to produce the tastiest chicken, and it will also be juicer and more tender.

However, if you’re in a hurry, you could reduce the marinating time to about 20 minutes. If you decide to go this route, I recommend cutting the chicken breast into strips. This will allow the marinade to soak into more of the chicken in the shorter time frame.

You could also shorten the prep time by leaving the garlic and onion raw. Cooking these ingredients will definitely develop their flavors a little more. But in a pinch, you can skip that step and throw them in the marinade raw.

Serving Suggestions

Because this grilled Moroccan chicken dish is so flavorful, I recommend serving it with a simple side. 

A fresh salad or some fresh chopped vegetables would be perfect. You could also try my cucumber and tomato salad with vinegar, which is very similar to a traditional Moroccan side dish often served with grilled foods. 

My summer squash salad, cucumber and onion salad with apple cider vinegar, broccoli tomato salad, or even my low-carb coleslaw are all great options as well.

Or for something a little heartier, you could whip up some faux cous cous using my microwave cauliflower rice!

Other Low-Carb Chicken Recipes

Looking for more ways to enjoy lean and healthy chicken breast? Check out a few of these favorite recipes:

• Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken wrapped in bacon can be made in the air fryer or the oven for an easy and super satisfying keto dinner!
• My Filipino Adobo Recipe is cooked in a tangy mix of cider vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic, and can be made with chicken breast or thighs.
• Keto Cobb Salad made with chicken, bacon, egg, blue cheese, and avocado is a delicious keto version of this popular salad!
• Chicken Wrapped Asparagus are baked in olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a tasty low carb dish.
• Pecan Crusted Chicken Breast is easy to make and can be adjusted to fit an egg-free, dairy-free, or paleo meal plan!

Easy Moroccan Grilled Chicken Recipe

It’s easy to get bored of chicken breast unless you’re trying new recipes. If you’re stuck in a rut, just wait until you taste the amazing flavors in this Moroccan-inspired dish!

You can never have too many recipes for tasty dishes that are easy to throw together. Serve this chicken on a busy weeknight next to some fresh veggies for a healthy and satisfying meal the whole family will love.

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Grilled Moroccan Chicken

Author: Lisa MarcAurele

5 from 1 vote

This grilled chicken is bursting with flavor thanks to a delicious and easy marinade inspired by Middle Eastern spices!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time14 mins

Total Time24 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Moroccan

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Servings 4 servings

Calories 396

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 large chicken breasts
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon ground coriander
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon or a quarter of a stick
• ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ▢ 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• ▢ 5 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 10 leaves of cilantro
• ▢ 5 leaves mint
• ▢ ½ lemon
• ▢ 1 large onion
• ▢ 3 cloves of garlic
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• If desired, chop the onion using a mandolin slicer and toss it in a hot pan with a couple of table spoons of oil and a dash of salt. Leave it to sweat on a small to medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the onion starts turning translucent and then toss in the chopped garlic for another minute or so.
• In a big bowl, add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, the onion and garlic, the salt, the turmeric, paprika, chopped cilantro and mint, squeeze the juice from the lemon and perhaps add a cup of chicken stock, water, or, if you are feeling adventurous, yogurt and mix everything thoroughly.
• Once you have your marinade, you can add the chicken breast either whole or cut into strips using a well sharpened knife and leave to marinate anywhere between 2 and 4 hours.
• Let as much of the marinate drip off the chicken, lightly pat it down, and throw it on a hot grill, ideally charcoal, but a grill pan is almost as good.
• Allow to cook between 7 and 3 minutes per side on the grill, but the best indicator that the chicken is done is if you have some nice grill marks on both side of the chicken.

Notes

Recipe by Julia Jones, an avid food enthusiast who loves everything about cooking. She especially loves using modern tech in cooking that can make even a novice cook look like an expert chef. She occasionally shares her opinion about the latest and craziest kitchen gadgets on the Kitchen Gadgets Wars blog.

Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart

Nutrition

Serving: 4g | Calories: 396 | Carbohydrates: 6.9g | Protein: 33.9g | Fat: 26.4g | Saturated Fat: 4.9g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 683mg | Potassium: 421mg | Fiber: 2.1g | Sugar: 2.1g | Vitamin A: 1100IU | Vitamin C: 14.9mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2.5mg

Additional Info

Net Carbs: 4.8 g | % Carbs: 4.9 % | % Protein: 34.6 % | % Fat: 60.6 % | SmartPoints: 10

Values

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(
    [serving_size] => 4
    [calories] => 396
    [carbohydrates] => 6.9
    [protein] => 33.9
    [fat] => 26.4
    [saturated_fat] => 4.9
    [cholesterol] => 101
    [sodium] => 683
    [potassium] => 421
    [fiber] => 2.1
    [sugar] => 2.1
    [vitamin_a] => 1100
    [vitamin_c] => 14.9
    [calcium] => 50
    [iron] => 2.5
)

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Note on Nutritional Information

Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.

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First published: November 4, 2015… Last Published: August 12, 2020