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Chicken Dinner One Pot Pasta Middle Eastern
4.6 from 98 votes

Moroccan Chicken Couscous

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By: Joanna Cismaru •1/29/23 50 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This Moroccan Chicken Couscous is super flavorful and healthy loaded with exotic spices but still simple enough to make any night of the week.

a braiser full of pearl couscous, kale, and spiced chicken breasts
Table of Contents Open
  • What Is Couscous?
  • Ingredients
    • Moroccan spice blend
    • Moroccan couscous
  • What Is Pearl Couscous?
  • How To Make Moroccan Chicken Couscous
  • Want To Test Out That Tagine?
  • Leftovers
  • Craving More One Pot Dishes? Try These:
  • Moroccan Chicken Couscous
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Notes
    • Nutrition Information
  • Did You Make This?

I’m so excited to share with you today’s recipe because it’s so good, loaded with delicious flavors and best yet, it’s healthy! Today we’re going to Morocco with all these exotic spices, fluffy couscous, and perfectly plump golden raisins. Did I mention you can make it all in one pot?

What Is Couscous?

Did you know that couscous is just small beads of pasta made from semolina? It’s very popular in places like Turkey, Greece, Spain, France, and lots of Arabic countries. Traditionally, it is served with meat and vegetable stew. It cooks very quickly, so it’s perfect for a hectic night when you want a quick and healthy dinner.

If you cook couscous properly it’s very light and fluffy. Luckily, in most western supermarkets, couscous is instant, which means it’s been pre-steamed and dried. Otherwise there’s no science to cooking couscous, usually you just follow the package instructions, one cup of boiling water to 3/4 cup of couscous. You can also add some butter or olive oil to it and some salt. And really, that’s all there is to it.

a braiser full of pearl couscous, kale, and spiced chicken breasts

Ingredients

Moroccan spice blend

  • Spices – Ground cumin, cinnamon, ginger, paprika, allspice, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, cardamom.
  • Seasoning – Salt and pepper.

Moroccan couscous

  • Moroccan spice blend – Listed above, all ground and whisked together thoroughly.
  • Chicken – Breasts boneless and skinless.
  • Olive oil – A neutral tasting oil to brown our chicken and veggies in.
  • Onion – We want a large onion that cooks down well like white or yellow.
  • Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
  • Raisins – Golden raisins as they’re nice and sweet.
  • Broth – Chicken broth low sodium or no sodium added.
  • Chickpeas – Just an entire can for some great chew and lots of fiber.
  • Tomatoes – I used fire roasted tomatoes, they may not be traditional but they pack so much more flavor than regular diced tomatoes.
  • Couscous – I used pearl couscous today, more information written below.
  • Kale – Rinsed thoroughly and chopped. No need to massage the kale as we are going to cook it down.

What Is Pearl Couscous?

Pearl couscous, sometimes also called Israeli couscous, can be found anywhere now, I find mine in my local grocery store. Pearl couscous is the same as regular couscous but just a bit bigger and sometimes as you can see here it comes in various colors. Too cool and I thought it would be perfect in this dish. I was right, as usual!

pearl couscous in a bowl

How To Make Moroccan Chicken Couscous

  1. Preheat the oven: Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
  2. Create the spice blend: Combine all the Moroccan spice blend ingredients together. The recipe should yields about 8 to 9 tsp or about 3 tbsp. Season the chicken breasts with 2 tbsp of the Moroccan spice blend thoroughly.
  3. Brown the chicken: In a large Dutch Oven or an oven safe pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add the chicken breasts and sear on both sides until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. The chicken will not be cooked through at all, it will just be crispy on the outside. Transfer the chicken from the pot to a plate and set aside.
  4. Saute the sauteables: Add the onion and garlic to the pot and saute for about 3 minutes until onion softens and becomes translucent and garlic is aromatic. add the remaining 1 tbsp of the Moroccan spice blend and stir.
  5. Incorporate the rest of the ingredients: Add the golden raisins, chickpeas, fire roasted tomatoes, chicken broth, couscous and stir well. Gently stir in the kale. Bring to a boil, then add the chicken breasts back.
  6. Cook the dish: Cover the pot with a lid and place in the oven. If your pot doesn’t have a lid, cover with aluminum foil. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
a plate of couscous with kale, topped with a sliced chicken breast with a fork

Want To Test Out That Tagine?

This is a perfect dish to make in your new tagine! For more information on this cook ware and please refer to this recipe. You can follow the instructions just the same as they’re outlined here.

Leftovers

This Moroccan chicken couscous will last for 3 – 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. This dish also freezes well for those of us who like to make our dishes ahead of time, just place in a sturdy freezer bag and it’ll keep for 3 – 4 months. Allow it to thaw fully overnight in the fridge before reheating to temperature on the stove top.

Craving More One Pot Dishes? Try These:

  • Hamburger Helper Lasagna
  • Beef Ragu Pasta
  • Chili Mac And Cheese
  • Chicken And Mushroom Tetrazzini
  • Turkey Wild Rice Soup
  • Chicken Cacciatore
  • No Peek Chicken Rice Casserole

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

side view shot of moroccan chicken couscous in a pot
Print
4.55 from 98 votes

Moroccan Chicken Couscous

Prep 10 minutes minutes
Cook 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
Total 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Rate Recipe
This Moroccan Chicken Couscous is super flavorful and healthy loaded with exotic spices but still simple enough to make any night of the week.
8

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoon Moroccan spice blend (recipe below)
  • 4 chicken breasts ( about 1 1/2 lbs, boneless and skinless)
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion (chopped)
  • 5 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 14 ounce chickpeas ((1 can) drained and washed)
  • 14 ounce fire roasted tomatoes ((1 can))
  • 3 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
  • 1 cup pearl couscous (dry)
  • 4 cups kale (rinsed and roughly chopped)

Moroccan Spice Blend

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
  • Combine all the Moroccan spice blend ingredients together. The recipe should yields about 8 to 9 tsp or about 3 tbsp. 
  • Season the chicken breasts with 2 tbsp of the Moroccan spice blend thoroughly. Use more as preferred.
  • In a large Dutch Oven or a oven safe pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add the chicken breasts and sear on both sides until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. The chicken will not be cooked through at all, it will just be crispy on the outside. Transfer the chicken from the pot to a plate and set aside.
  • Add the onion and garlic to the pot and saute for about 3 minutes until onion softens and becomes translucent and garlic is aromatic. add the remaining 1 tbsp of the Moroccan spice blend and stir. 
  • Add the golden raisins, chickpeas, fire roasted tomatoes, chicken broth, couscous and stir well. Gently stir in the kale. Bring to a boil, then add the chicken breasts back.
  • Cover the pot with a lid and place in the oven. If your pot doesn’t have a lid, cover with aluminum foil. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

Notes

I used fire roasted tomatoes in a can. If you can’t find them, or would like them homemade, here’s how to do it in the oven: 
Heat oven to 160C/340F. Put 5-6 tomatoes on a baking sheet with 2 crushed cloves of garlic. Sprinkle with 2 tsp thyme, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, add some salt and pepper and roast for 1 hr. Remove and set aside to cool.
You can also use store bought Moroccan spice blend instead of making your own, you can find it on Amazon here.
You can also use chicken breasts with skin and bones for additional flavor. Chicken thighs or drumsticks are also fine.
I used a large Dutch Oven Braiser that is oven safe. A tagine would also work great with this recipe.
This recipe will last for 3 – 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. This dish also freezes well for those of us who like to make our dishes ahead of time, just place in a sturdy freezer bag and it’ll keep for 3 – 4 months. Allow it to thaw fully overnight in the fridge before reheating to temperature on the stove top.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 419kcal (21%)Carbohydrates: 47g (16%)Protein: 38g (76%)Fat: 9g (14%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Cholesterol: 73mg (24%)Sodium: 478mg (21%)Potassium: 754mg (22%)Fiber: 6g (25%)Sugar: 9g (10%)Vitamin A: 3740IU (75%)Vitamin C: 44.4mg (54%)Calcium: 129mg (13%)Iron: 4.2mg (23%)
© Author Joanna Cismaru

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

side view shot of moroccan chicken couscous in a pot

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Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Through Jo Cooks, I invite you to join me in my kitchen as we explore delicious recipes from around the globe, celebrate the joy of cooking, and make every meal a memorable one. Happy cooking!

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50 Comments
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SaddleShoes
SaddleShoes
Posted: 1 month ago

5 stars
My husband’s family is North African; his mother grinded her own couscous. He has been making chicken couscous for me and my gigantic Irish-American family for more than 25 years. Everyone who can gather (usually more than 30 people) loves this meal, even the little kids. Hubby has been ill of late and not able to cook. I wanted to surprise him but his method is a combo of secret and magic. He is a great cook, so I don’t. But, I used Jo’s recipe, several times now, sometimes with all kinds of substitutions (fear not!) depending on what’s on hand, but essentially Jo’s. Hubby was over the moon and likes it better than his own! I’ve just made a batch for family gathering this weekend – 40 people. Small batch or large – PERFECT! Don’t forget to try harissa and cilantro as finishing touches.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  SaddleShoes
Posted: 1 month ago

I’m so glad you guys enjoyed the recipe!

0
Reply
d4v1d
d4v1d
Posted: 1 month ago

5 stars
I made this in an iron skillet. For sweetness, I usually use grapes or prunes, but tonight I had nothing so we drizzle honey on near the finish.

0
Reply
Jen
Jen
Posted: 2 months ago

This is fabulous. Now a family favorite in our regular routine. We use a whole chicken cut up and spinach instead of kale. No fail, easy one pot and super yum!

0
Reply
Bobo
Bobo
Posted: 1 year ago

I’ve got a few questions about the couscous…

I have some “golden” couscous I’ve used before. They’re very pretty — a mix of yellow and orange (my wife loves them) — but they’re quite small (fine-grained).

1. Will those work in this recipe, or just gum things up? I can get some bigger (“pearl”) couscous if these are too fine.

2. I’ve made these golden couscous before (easy, I can boil water..). But for this recipe, it sounds like you just toss them in the pot along with the other items (chickpeas, chicken broth, etc.)? I’m concerned that after 60 minutes in the pot (in the oven) the little fine-grained couscous I have might not stand up very well, and might get mushy.

I could omit the couscous from the pot, cook them separately, then serve the chicken over them — but then I worry the couscous might be bland and the chicken mixture might be too thin and runny. Or I could just get bigger couscous and not worry about it. Maybe I’m over-thinking this.

What do you think?

Love your recipes — Thank you!!!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Bobo
Posted: 1 year ago

Yes, and yes! 🙂 The couscous will hold, it won’t be mushy at all.

0
Reply
Rufus
Rufus
Posted: 1 year ago

I don’t do kale. 🙂 Any suggestions for a substitute?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Rufus
Posted: 1 year ago

You can try some spinach instead.

0
Reply
Rufus
Rufus
Reply to  Joanna Cismaru
Posted: 1 year ago

Thank you for the prompt and helpful response. I will give this a try in the next few days and will report back on the results!

0
Reply
Kay C.
Kay C.
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
I followed this recipe exactly using boneless/skinless chicken thighs. The kitchen smelled amazing cooking this. We used the whole kale bunch. Don’t leave out the raisins, the sweetness adds so much to the overall flavour. We loved it, thank you!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Kay C.
Posted: 1 year ago

I’m so glad you enjoyed this!

0
Reply
Juliana Sismon Cooley
Juliana Sismon Cooley
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
I made this 10 x already and it’s always amazing. Even the kids eat it

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Juliana Sismon Cooley
Posted: 2 years ago

You know it’s a keeper when the kids love it too!!

0
Reply
Tasha
Tasha
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
Was very good! I’ve made other Moroccan chicken but this one was the fastest !! A splash of lemon at the end would go nice too!!

0
Reply
Dee
Dee
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
This recipe was so so good!! Made a few small adjustments, and it was still gorgeous. Thank you!!

0
Reply
Ashley
Ashley
Reply to  Dee
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
I’ve made this many times. It’s so easy and soooo delicious! I don’t like raisins so we leave those out, then I add some feta as I’m serving it. Makes great lunches too!
Love love love this recipe thank you.

0
Reply
Mike
Mike
Posted: 2 years ago

4 stars
This recipe was recommended by a cooking enthusiast friend. By contrast, I am not highly skilled in the kitchen. It came out well! (Even with minor substitutions.) My family enjoyed it.

0
Reply
Stephanie
Stephanie
Posted: 2 years ago

3 stars
Flavour is fantastic, but I found the cook time to be way too long. My chicken was very dry and the couscous was mushy. I followed the directions exactly. The only difference was that I used regular coucous, but Jo said that would be fine in the comments. I will make this again but will use different timing in the oven or just cook it separately.

0
Reply
Claire
Claire
Posted: 3 years ago

5 stars
Made this for dinner tonight with chicken thigh instead of breast, and it was delicious! I’m glad to have leftovers so I can have it again for lunch tomorrow 😁

0
Reply
PK
PK
Posted: 3 years ago

Any difference if using regular couscous, and not the pearl?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  PK
Posted: 3 years ago

Absolutely not! 🙂

0
Reply
Wendi Goldman
Wendi Goldman
Posted: 3 years ago

5 stars
Using the lamb, would you follow the same directions?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Wendi Goldman
Posted: 3 years ago

What cut of lamb are you planning on using?

0
Reply
Wendi Goldman
Wendi Goldman
Posted: 3 years ago

5 stars
Can you use lamb in this recipe? If so, what cut of lamb, and how would you adapt it to this recipe?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Wendi Goldman
Posted: 3 years ago

I would use a cut like lamb shoulder that you can slice into smaller pieces.

0
Reply

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I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is the place where I share my passion for easy and delicious recipes. From comforting classics to global flavors, I believe that cooking should be fun, approachable, and most importantly, rewarding. Join me on this culinary journey and let’s get cooking!

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