Moroccan Couscous with chicken. Don't you love a meal that doesn't require much cooking yet still tastes like restaurant quality food?
This chicken and couscous recipe is perfect if you're craving that something extra spicy and delicious for dinner tonight.
Chicken recipes are convenient and popular because of their short cooking time, especially chicken breasts.
Included in this recipe are crisp fresh veggies (no cooking) and fluffy Moroccan couscous that needs a few minutes to rehydrate.
So besides oven baking the flavor-packed spicy chicken, we are not cooking anything else.
Serve this couscous and chicken recipe or any leftovers with this red pepper dipping sauce.
Add roasted red peppers, fresh lemon and black pepper for a the most satisfying meal. Couscous and chicken are fantastic meal-prep ingredients!
Moroccan Couscous Recipe
A host of spices make up this incredibly tasty chicken dish which you could also substitute with ras el hanout (used often in Moroccan cooking).
Using all the spices in the ingredient list as opposed to just cumin, coriander and a few more, you get a much more flavorful spice combination.
What is Couscous?
Couscous is a type of pasta that’s made from semolina flour and is the national dish of Morocco. A staple in North African and Middle Eastern cuisine and cooked throughout the world
I've shared more on couscous in this How To Cook Fluffy Couscous recipe along with types of couscous, water ratio and much more so take a look at it.
We are using boneless chicken breasts in this recipe but chicken thighs work all the same.
I find that pounding the chicken breasts in just the thicker parts helps it to cook evenly and quicker.
Ingredients
What you’ll need for this Moroccan Chicken Recipe (full recipe card below)
Extra virgin olive oil – To cook the chicken. We are not cooking the veggies.
Moroccan Spice Mix – A blend of different spices, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, smoked paprika, ground ginger cayenne pepper and ground turmeric.
Fresh lemon - Squeeze half of lemon, about 1 tablespoon and a bit depending on the juiciness of the lemon.
Roll the lemon firmly on the countertop to extract as much juice as possible!
Chicken breasts – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or boneless chicken thighs are great for this recipe.
Red pepper – Use any color but the red is a great taste of mild sweet for salads
Julienne carrots - I used a store-bought packet of thinly sliced carrots to save time then cut them in half for uniformity. Check out Taste.au for how a how to article.
Red onion – Again, the salad red onions for less bitter and more enjoyable crunch
Moroccan couscous – Pearl couscous can also be used.
Water - Cook the couscous in water, chicken broth or chicken stock.
Seasoning – Salt and pepper
Fresh chopped herbs – Use any fresh herb, parsley, fresh mint, or fresh basil.
How to Make Chicken and Couscous
Start by making the aromatic spices: In a small bowl add all spices. Set aside.
Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C / 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. You’re going to need it to collect all the spicy chicken juices!
Chicken prep: Pat the chicken dry using kitchen tissue paper. Place chicken breasts on a board covered with a sheet of cling film (plastic wrap) and pound the chicken in just the thicker parts. Use a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
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Season: Season the now pounded chicken breasts both sides with salt and pepper.
To the spice blend, add the extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Use your hands to properly coat the chicken.
Bake: Place the spiced, seasoned chicken breasts onto the parchment paper and oven roast the chicken on the centre rack, for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Leaving the chicken in the fridge, covered for a few hours is an option.
Remove chicken from the oven: Give it 2-3 minutes to simmer down while in the baking sheet then transfer the chicken to a plate to cool down.
Hydrate the Couscous
Prepare the couscous: Boil water in the kettle for the couscous, you’ll need 1 cup of boiling water, a bowl for the couscous and a sheet of plastic wrap to cover the bowl.
Pour the dried Moroccan couscous and boiling water into the bowl and cover with the plastic wrap. Let it steam (rehydrate) for 10 minutes uninterrupted.
Optional: Toast dry couscous in a tablespoon of olive oil, add kosher salt, a warm spice or two before rehydrating. I tend to skip on toasting Moroccan couscous and only toast Israeli couscous.
Vegetables
Clean and chop the vegetables: Rinse the red peppers and deseed then cut into smaller bite-sized pieces, finely dice the red onion and chop the carrots. Set aside.
All the vegetables will be added to the couscous once it has cooled down completely.
At this point, is where I prefer to add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper.
Now let’s pull all these great flavors together so start by seasoning and tasting the couscous and vegetable combination.
Slice the cooked chicken and place each whole sliced chicken breast over the couscous and veggies.
Pour any and all the remaining juices from the parchment paper over the chicken and serve!
Is parchment paper necessary?
Using parchment paper (baking paper) is the best way to prevent the juices from burning along with the spices. Easy clean up and keep those juices!
Serving Suggestions
This Moroccan Couscous and Chicken dish is a stand-alone meal PLUS it has all the incredible flavors, textures and is a satisfying all-in-one dish.
However there are options of a side dish like toasted ciabatta bread, garlic and cheese toasties, sour cream, guacamole or any of your favourite dips on the side.
Feel free to add a big bowl of salad on the table alongside this couscous chicken platter and enjoy!
Storage | Chicken Couscous Recipe
I’ve been very excited to share this recipe even if it was only to say that this is a fantastic meal prep idea!
This Moroccan couscous and chicken lasts, refrigerated in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Make enough, store it in the fridge and every day for the next 4 to 5 days you can have lunch ready!
Freezing: Pack it into a freezer container or freezer bag and it will keep for up to 3 months. Be sure to leave it to thaw completely overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheat: Reheat on the stove-top on medium high heat with a tiny splash of stock or water until heated through. You can also reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes depending on the quantity.
More Delicious Recipes
- Easy Lasagna Rigatoni
- Chicken Fajita Wraps Recipe With an Easy Seasoning
- Baked Crunchy Chicken Breast
- Couscous Lunch Bowl
- Macaroni Pasta Bake
Stay in touch!
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Moroccan Couscous Chicken Skillet Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon fresh black pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons Moroccan spice blend
- 1 cup dry Moroccan couscous
- 1 cup water
- 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and finely diced
- 1 cup julienne carrots or 100 grams store-bought (2 whole carrots)
- 1 small red onion or 2 shallots finely diced
- 1 whole fresh lemon (about 2 tablespoons of juice)
- ¼ cup freshly chopped herbs
Moroccan Spice Blend
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon all spice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C /400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (baking paper).
- Combine all the Moroccan spice blend ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon all spice, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- Place the chicken breasts on a work surface or board and cover them with cling film (plastic wrap) to protect them from tearing while pounding.4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Dry the chicken breasts with kitchen paper and use a meat mallet or a rolling pin to pound only the thicker parts of the chicken breast so that they are more or less the same thickness right round. This will also help the chicken cook evenly and faster. Transfer the pounded chicken to a large plate and add a sprinkle of fresh black pepper.½ teaspoon fresh black pepper
- Add about 4 tablespoons of Morroccan spice to the chicken breasts along with all the olive oil and lemon juice. Now use your hands to coat the chicken thoroughly making sure it's all covered.¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons Moroccan spice blend, 1 whole fresh lemon (about 2 tablespoons of juice)
- Place the pounded, well spiced and seasoned chicken breasts onto the prepared baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes (middle rack).
- While the chicken bakes, prepare the veggies. Rinse, deseed and dice the bell pepper, finely chop the onion or shallots, rinse dry and roughly chop the fresh herbs and julienne carrots. Try to make the veggies more or less the same bite sizes. Set aside.1 red bell pepper, deseeded and finely diced, 1 cup julienne carrots or 100 grams store-bought (2 whole carrots), 1 small red onion or 2 shallots finely diced, ¼ cup freshly chopped herbs
- Remove the chicken from the oven after the cooking time and leave the chicken on the sheet pan for 5 minutes to simmer down (out the oven).
- Boil the water in the kettle for the couscous. Pour the dry couscous into a bowl (use a large bowl as it will also hold the chicken and veggies) and add the boiling water, immediately cover with cling wrap (plastic wrap) and leave it undisturbed for 15 minutes.1 cup dry Moroccan couscous, 1 cup water
- Use a fork to fluff the couscous, taste and season with a little salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, combine. Add the fresh vegetables to the couscous and mix together.
- Use a sharp knife (it does not have to be serrated) just sharp to slice the chicken breasts and then slide the knife, flat side down under the chicken to lift it and place it over the couscous and veggies. Do not forget to pour all those delicious juices on the parchment paper.
- Serve with lemon slices and freshly chopped herbs. Enjoy!
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