Are you ready for a show stopping grilled Moroccan chicken feast that's a 30 minute meal and is more than classy and fancy enough for entertaining but simple enough for weeknights? Then this dinner is for you. Oh yeah... and it's totally weight watchers friendly!
Okay. Here at Salted Mint, it's pretty clear that we're all about the fast and fresh meal. Like did you catch the tuna from Monday? It is super simple, and quick! It's how we roll. All three squares and our snacks gotta be quick, simple and delicious. But, here's the rub... we also like it punchy, full of flavour and with modern twists on classics. This is maybe even a little on the casual/rustic side. That is this grilled Moroccan chicken on every level.
See, this dish has been on my mind for a long time. But it couldn't just be just any grilled chicken. Because, although we watch what we eat, if we have one more chicken breast... well... we might die of boredom, no? So for these, I used little poussins, baby chickens to you and me, that I just cut in half with a sharp knife, but you could totally use kitchen scissors, or better yet get your butcher to do it for you!
This grilled Moroccan chicken was kinda designed to feed 4 people and just to have a platter that you can just pop in the middle of the table and let everyone just get stuck in. I think that's my favourite way to eat. It just makes the whole dinner time event feel so much more communal and community filled. Qualities that I just can't get enough of these days. That style of dining also makes me want to linger over a glass of wine and actually chat to people, rather than eat with one eye on my fork and one eye on my computer screen... #guilty!
But, we need to have a quick chat about what makes this Moroccan chicken so special. Firstly, the marinade couldn't be easier. It's some olive oil, garlic, lemon, za'atar, pomegranate molasses and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk... done. Now, you might be thinking that the chicken then needs to sit in the marinade for about 30 minutes. Well... surprise... just give them a quick turn in the dressing and onto a hot grill. You can get any left over dressing onto the chicken while it's in the pan.
We also skipped carbs in this dinner, just because there's a lot of protein, so I figured we wouldn't miss the carbs and yep- we're totally fine without them. But what I did toss into that grill pan with this chicken was padron peppers. They are the darling of the food scene right now and so you can pretty much find them anywhere. They vary in flavour from very mild to maybe kinda a hint of spicy. The ones I cooked weren't very spicy at all, but were completely delish.
The other veggie star was these little baby roasted cauliflowers with harissa yogurt. I used rose harissa paste from Belazu. This paste is spicy and fragrant with a hint of lemon. It is so delicious. Mix with yogurt and it is the perfect dipping sauce for everything veggie and savoury.
The 3 best things about Grilled Moroccan Chicken.
- It's simple and impressive.
- This chicken is spicy and fragrant
- It's carb free and really simple to make.
All this needs is to be served with some fresh figs and a cold glass of wine and to be dining next to people you love!
Moroccan Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 poussins or 4 chicken breasts
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 2 heaped tablespoon za’atar a lemony herby Moroccan spice blend
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180c or 350f.
- Mix the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, za’atar and cinnamon in a bowl large enough to fit the chicken or the poussin.
- If you’re using poussin, cut them in half using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors.
- Place the birds in the bowl with the marinade and leave for a few minutes while you heat the grill pan.
- Once the grill pan is hot place the chicken skin side down and cook for about 10 minutes, or until there are grill marks on the chicken.
- Turn the chicken over and place the pan in the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes or until the chicken is done. Chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 74c or 165f.
Serve with the roasted cauliflower and harissa yogurt.
Optional garnishes: roasted padron peppers, pomegranate seeds.
- Serves 4.
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