This Moroccan-inspired chicken & rice skillet combines perfectly-cooked chicken with bold Moroccan-inspired flavors for a simple one-pot meal that’s perfect for adding variety to your weeknight dinners!
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I LOVE a good one-pot meal. The only thing better than getting to sit down to a quick, delicious meal? Not having to deal with a sink full of dishes afterwards! Now that’s my kind of cooking. After the popularity of this Lemon Chicken & Rice Skillet earlier in the year, we knew that we wanted to deliver you more meals like it. This time around, we punched up the flavor with more spices, lemon, and olives.
About Moroccan Spices
Let’s talk Moroccan spices for a minute. Moroccan cuisine tends to combine both sweet and savory spices with salty elements like olives and preserved lemon to create a deep, rich flavor that sets it apart from any other cuisine. Typically these spices are combined with a protein and vegetables then slowly cooked to create a dish called tajine, but today we are simplifying things a bit for this Moroccan-inspired Chicken & Rice Skillet in the name of getting dinner on the table fast!
How to Cook Moroccan-Inspired Chicken with Rice
First, we are going to whisk together the secret weapon here – our spices. You may be worried that it’s too much for 2 pounds of chicken, but just trust me, it is going to be goooood! Next, you’ll coat the chicken with the spice, then sear it in a heavy-bottomed pan until it is a glorious golden brown. Then, you’ll remove the chicken from the pan then add the rice so it can combine with the flavorful browned bits still left in the pan and take on a delicious, toasted flavor. Every step here builds the flavor in this simple dish! Once the rice starts to give off a nutty fragrance, we add in chicken broth, then leave it to cook, later adding in lemon juice, olives, and the chicken to brighten up the flavor and ensure the chicken is perfectly cooked.
Serving Moroccan-Inspired Chicken with Rice
Finally, you’ll garnish the dish with cilantro and lemon then serve it up! If you’d like to add a veggie, I’d recommend either serving with a side salad or roasting some veggies in the oven as the chicken and rice cook. I hope you and your family enjoy this Moroccan-inspired chicken & rice skillet as much as we do!
More Favorite One-Pan Recipes
Moroccan-Inspired Chicken Recipe with Rice
Ingredients
For the Moroccan Seasoning:
- 3 teaspoons paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
For the Chicken & Rice Skillet
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced or pounded to 1-inch thickness
- 1 1/2 cup white rice I used Basmati
- 2 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup green olives drained
- 1 lemon quartered, for garnish
- Fresh chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the Moroccan seasoning until well-combined.
- Liberally season the chicken breast on both sides with the Moroccan blend until fully coated.
- Melt butter (or olive oil) in a skillet over medium high heat. Once melted, add the chicken. Sear for 3-4 minutes per side, until browned.
- Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Add the rice to the skillet over medium-high heat and stir. Cook 1-2 minutes until toasted. It will give off a slightly nutty aroma at this point.
- Add the broth to the pan with the rice and whisk to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
- Once rice is boiling, give it a final stir, add the thyme, and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes has passed, remove the lid from the pot and stir the lemon juice into the rice, then place chicken breasts and olives on top of the rice.
- Cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes, then remove from heat, let cool slightly, garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges, and serve!
Recipe Notes
- You can substitute any type of rice you like in this recipe, just make sure you follow the rice to water ratio on the back of the package.
- If you choose to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in place of the chicken breast, make sure to drain off the excess fat before adding the rice to the skillet, so you don’t wind up with greasy rice.
Nutrition
Thank you so much for this beautiful Moroccan piece of deliciousness. I am so hooked.
That’s amazing, Jenna-Lea! We’re so glad you love this recipe!
This looks delicious, making it for dinner tonight. None of my family like olives, can I just omit? Or is it one of those things you don’t even taste once cooked?
You can totally omit! I hope you love it!
This was delicious! The entire family thoroughly enjoyed (ages 1, 9, 11 and us adults!) A must make for everyone
I’m so glad to hear that, Jackie! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was so delicious and easy! I’ve not made Moroccan cuisine before so it was fun to branch out!
That’s awesome, Erin! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
So good and so easy!!
Agreed!! So glad you enjoyed it!
Looks delish- trying this week! What type of green olives do you use?
I’m trying different dishes to keep from getting bored with the same meals. This was good and my husband liked it. The only thing was what else to serve with this single pan dish. I roasted asparagus but it didn’t seem like the dish would be enough. WE racked our brains trying to come up with something else to serve. Any suggestions?
Delicious! Definitely easy. I made some steamed broccoli to go with it but next time I’m going to make lemony kale. I was weary of olives but it totally works. Thanks for a great recipe!
When do we use the thyme?
I made this tonight as a roasted whole chicken (because that’s what I had on hand) and my kids LOVED it. The spice mix is SO yummy! I just took a thawed whole chicken and rubbed the spice mix/butter under and over the skin and it was so yummy. I also made the rice but on the side. Thank you for this recipe, ya’ll are great <3
That sounds so good Kathryn! So glad you liked it!
I don’t think I’ve had Moroccan cuisine before. But this looks like a good place to start.
Also, the wrong picture that is with the recipe! It is the pumpkin cookies!
Thank you Diane! We’ve clearly got pumpkin on the brain haha.
If I wanted to subsitute cauliflower rice how would I change the liquid for this?
Can’t wait to try this! Quick note about a typo: you list ‘one cup of green onions’ In the ingredients, but I’m guessing that should be green olives instead!
all fixed! thanks for the heads up!