One-Pot Moroccan Chicken with Rice

One-pot Moroccan chicken with rice makes a delicious week-night supper. Packed with the big, bold flavours of North Africa, it cooks in one dish and can be on the table in about 30 minutes.  

Easy One-Pot Moroccan Chicken

I love a good one-pot dish for all the obvious reasons. They are the perfect for after work; easy, tasty, fast and light on the washing up. Once you get the ingredient ratios right, rice-based stove top dishes are a winner and the variations are pretty much endless.   

In the days when Ed and I both had office jobs, we ate this type of dish several times a week. Cooking after work is a fantastic way to wind down and relax, but you don’t want anything that takes too long or is too fussy. Hands on time for this wonderfully spicy chicken with rice is less than 15 minutes, so you can leave it to cook whilst you get on with something else.  

This recipe makes two very hearty portions. Serve it with some extra vegetables, and you may well have leftovers for a packed lunch the next day. 

I make my one-pots in a shallow enamelled cast iron casserole. However, a heavy frying fan or skillet with a well fitting lid would work well too. 

See also

• One pot Spanish chicken with rice has big bold flavours; it’s an easy one pot dish that’s a satisfying meal.
• A takeaway restaurant favourite, my easy Chinese chicken curry recipe is even easier if you use ready roasted chicken to save time.
• Here are all my favourite leftover roast chicken recipes for fuss-free, quick and easy delicious mid week meals and more.

Why Make It

• Moroccan chicken with rice is quick and easy to make yet so appetising.  
• The preparation and clearing up in minimal, with only one pot to wash. 
• It only takes a quarter of an hour to prepare. Leave it to cook while you relax.   
• It is easy to adapt to incorporate other meats or add your favourite veg.  
• It is easy to scale, so make extra for unexpected visitors or for the freezer.
• It’s light on calories – around 500 kcal for a generous helping. 
• Leftovers (if you have them) are great for packed lunches.  

The beauty of cooking rice by the absorption method is that you can measure by volume. Just follow the instructions to get perfect rice every time. You just need a heavy pan with a lid that fits properly. Don’t be tempted to peek at the rice as it cooks. 

Buying Chicken

I  only buy free range. The welfare advantages are worth every extra penny and the flavour and texture is different because chickens that can move have more muscle. 

You will always get the best value by buying a whole chicken. You get far more for your money and will have the carcass to make chicken stock.  

If you are buying chicken pieces, I find that thighs have more flavour and a better, moister meat once cooked. You will need one thigh per person for this Moroccan chicken with rice recipe. You can buy fillets, or whole thighs, which are very easy to skin. Remove the bones and save them for stock.

How to Make Moroccan Chicken with Rice  

Measure out the ingredients to check you have everything. This also means that you can put packets away with clean hands.

Chop up the chicken into 1 cm/1/2″ pieces. I find the easiest way to cut chicken is with a pair of scissors or poultry shears, rather than a knife.

How to prepare preserved lemons

When cooking with preserved lemons, you only use the rind, and not the salty flesh. You can preserve regular lemons, but typically the ones you buy are smaller and have lots of pith. 

Rinse the lemon, and cut in half. Scoop out the flesh and discard. Slice the rind into thin matchsticks with a sharp knife. Depending one how salty it is, you may also need to rinse the lemon.

Step One – Set a large sauté pan (or casserole dish) with a lid on a medium heat. Fry the chopped onion and garlic in a little olive oil until they start to turn translucent.

Step Two – Add the chopped chicken and stir in well. Cook until the chicken starts to colour. 

Step Three – Add the ras el hanout, and stir well to coat each piece of chicken evenly. Cook for a further couple of minutes.

Step Four – Add the remaining ingredients: the rice, stock, olives, preserved lemon, dried apricots, and tomatoes. Then stir and cook. 

Bring to a simmer, put the lid on the pan and turn the heat right down. I need to use a heat diffuser ring with my gas stove. Otherwise, the rice catches and can stick to the bottom of the pan, even on the lowest heat.

Leave to cook for 18 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow to rest for another 5 minutes.  

Step Five –  At the end of cooking the rice will have cooked and absorbed all the liquid.   

Fluff up the rice with a fork, and check the seasoning. The preserved lemons are salty, so do check before you add any.

Stir through a handful of chopped coriander. Serve Moroccan Chicken garnished with more coriander, mint, pomegranate seeds and toasted flaked almonds.

Eat Your Greens

The tomatoes, olives and fruit in this recipe amount to about two ‘portions’ of fruit and veg per person. I would usually serve it with a salad, or some wilted chard or spinach with garlic and spice, similar to the North African dish bakoula. If, however, you prefer to mix everything in, it is easy to add extra veg to your Moroccan chicken with rice. 

• Throw in some diced aubergine and fry along with the onion
• Put some peeled and diced carrot in the pan with the onion (you could use a whole bag of soffritto mix)
• Add sliced peppers with the ras el hanout 
• If you have leftovers, stir in a scoop of roasted squash or other roast veg
• Throw in a handful of chickpeas towards the end of cooking 
• Stir through a generous handful of spinach at the end of cooking. (Mallow leaf is popular in North Africa too, but spinach is easier to find!) 

Hints, Tips & Variations 

• Leave the lid on the pan the rice cooks. Make sure the heat is low; too much heat and it can catch and burn at the bottom. Many stoves need a diffuser ring to keep the heat gentle enough. If you are not used to cooking rice on your hob, check it half-way through. If you do need to check, however, you will need to add a little extra liquid because lifting the lid allows the steam to escape. Once you know how your cooker behaves, leave the lid on throughout.
• Moroccan chicken with rice could be made in the oven. You can see the technique in my chicken biryani, another delicious one-pot dish. Cook the chicken on the stove as above. 
• Leftover roast chicken works well and is even quicker. Skip step 2 and add it with the spice. Or you could use frozen chunks, or even mince. 
• Leftover olives can be frozen to use another time. 
• Instead of the apricots, try using chopped dates or even prunes.  
• You can bulk the dish out by adding chickpeas. 
• Any long grain white rice will work. I favour basmati. Brown rice works but takes much longer and will probably need more liquid. 

More Rice One Pots and Rice Dishes

• Spanish chicken
• Peri peri chicken
• Greek chicken
• Nandos rice
• Spicy rice
• Mushroom rice
• Leftover lamb biryani
• Pilau rice (Pressure Cooker Pilau rice)
• Leftover chicken biryani 
• Leftover turkey biryani
• Other easy rice recipes