Moroccan Olive Chicken is juicy, tender, pantry friendly and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Delicious over a bed of Vegan Chickpea Lemon Rice. 
Why you are going to love our Moroccan Olive Chicken
You are just going to love this Moroccan Olive chicken recipe as it is made with buttery and briny Castelvetrano olives, loads of delicious Moroccan Spices and fresh bright lemons. In addition, this recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and super easy to throw together.
Unlike, traditional Moroccan chicken that calls for preserved lemons and hard to find spices, this Moroccan Olive chicken is made with you in mind and kept simple and easy.
If you are anything like our family, we do not go out and buy special ingredients just to make a dish. We are always reinventing and trying new things and these are how happy culinary accidents happen. Today was an epic culinary happy accident. If you don’t have Castelvetrano olives on hand, try kalamata or whatever you have on hand.
Tender juicy chicken sautéed on top of the stove with spices, lemons, olives and served on top of Vegan Chickpea Lemon Rice Drizzling a little of the juices on top and this is one lip smacking easy meal.
Aromatics and Spices
Exploring your pantry at the end of the week can bring about some fantastic ideas in the kitchen. You are forced to work with what you have on hand.
Staples in our Kitchen always include garlic, onions, citrus fruits and some basic spices and of course olive oil. You can do some amazing things with just a few ingredients.
Traditionally Moroccan chicken has about a billion spices and expensive saffron but we have narrowed it down to just the ones that we really enjoy; turmeric, cumin and paprika. If you enjoy those warming spices, be sure to try our Easy Moroccan Ground Lamb Stew.
You need some fast and easy less than 30 meals like Moroccan Olive Chicken in your recipe rotation as life is just plain busy and I know you want to feed your family healthy meals.
Try these Easy Less than 30 Minute Meals
Shrimp Burritos with Creamy Poblano Sauce
Rosemary Herbed Pork Chops with Shallot Wine Sauce
Baked Chorizo Crusted Fish and Potatoes
Lemon Herb Baked Rainbow Trout
Orecchiette and Chicken Sausage in a Garlic Wine Sauce
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Moroccan Olive Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
chopped - 2 cloves garlic
minced - 12 oz chicken breasts
( We sliced them lengthwise as they were thick and wanted them to cook fast) - 1 tsp turmeric
ground - 1 tsp cumin
ground - 1 tsp paprika
ground - salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup Chicken Broth
gluten-free - 1 cup Castelvetrano olives
(or whatever kind you prefer) - 1 lemon chopped into wedges
- 2 tsp butter/margarine
optional - dairy free (only real butter if you do not have dairy intolerance) - 2 tbsp flat parsley chopped
- vegan chickpea lemon rice optional
Instructions
- In a large frying pan or dutch oven on medium heat, add olive oil, chopped onion and saute until translucent, then add the chopped garlic and stir.
- In the meantime, season both sides of the (cut in half lengthwise to help chicken breasts cook quicker) chicken with turmeric, cumin, paprika and salt and pepper. Place the seasoned chicken in the pan and lightly brown the chicken for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Add the chicken broth to the pan, olives and lemons and put on a lid and simmer for about 15 minutes with a lid until the juices run clear or internal temperature reads 165 degrees F. Add a dab of butter or dairy-free margarine to finish off the dish. Remove pan from heat and allow to set for 5 minutes.
- Serve your Moroccan Olive Chicken over your Vegan Chickpea Rice. Spoon over the delicious juices, olives and lemons, garnish with parsley and enjoy.
I love the simplicity of this. Plus, it seems pretty healthy which is awesome. And paprika is such a great spice!
Last spring, I had a huge amount of fresh lemons from my inlaws lemon tree, and decided to make some preserved lemons. I might just use those lemons in this recipe!