Moroccan-Inspired Chicken & Rice Skillet Recipe - Fed + Fit (2024)

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!

Moroccan-Inspired Chicken & Rice Skillet Recipe - Fed + Fit (1)

Table of Contents

  • This recipe is…
  • About Moroccan Spices
  • How to Cook Moroccan-Inspired Chicken with Rice
  • Serving Moroccan-Inspired Chicken with Rice
  • More Favorite One-Pan Recipes
  • Moroccan-Inspired Chicken Recipe with Rice Recipe

This recipe is…

GFGluten FreeDFDairy Free

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 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.

Moroccan-Inspired Chicken & Rice Skillet Recipe - Fed + Fit (2)

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

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Moroccan-Inspired Chicken Recipe with Rice

4.91 — Votes 11 votes

By Cassy Joy Garcia

Servings: 6 servings

Moroccan-Inspired Chicken & Rice Skillet Recipe - Fed + Fit (7)

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This Moroccan-Inspired Chicken and Rice Skillet is a one-pot meal that brings the complex flavors of Moroccan cuisine to an easy, weeknight meal!

Ingredients

For the Moroccan Seasoning:

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 (orolive 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

Calories: 402kcal | Carbohydrates: 39.6g | Protein: 38.3g | Fat: 8.8g | Saturated Fat: 2.5g | Cholesterol: 117.7mg | Sodium: 658.9mg | Fiber: 1.4g | Sugar: 0.8g

Additional Info

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: African

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 402

Keyword: chicken with rice, moroccan chicken and rice

Moroccan-Inspired Chicken & Rice Skillet Recipe - Fed + Fit (8)

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About the Author

Cassy Joy Garcia, NC

Cassy Joy Garcia, a New York Times best-selling author, of Cook Once Dinner Fix, Cook Once Eat All Week, and Fed and Fit as well as the creative force behind the popular food blog Fed & Fit.

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Moroccan-Inspired Chicken & Rice Skillet Recipe - Fed + Fit (2024)

FAQs

How much chicken and rice should I eat? ›

His solution: Eat at least six chicken breasts each paired with a half cup of rice, daily.

How to cook large amounts of chicken? ›

Simply add your seasoned chicken to the slow cooker with a bit of chicken broth or water, set it to low heat, and let it cook for about 4-6 hours. Grilling is another tasty option, especially during the summer months.

Should I stop eating white rice to lose belly fat? ›

No, you don't need to stop eating rice in order to lose weight. You can simply go for portion control and still add rice to your daily diet.

Can I just eat chicken and rice to bulk? ›

It is indeed a very simple yet effective meal. The benefits are quite simple, it helps bulk up the body and refuel a lot of energy. The high protein of the chicken will help rebuild damaged muscle fibers while the carbohydrate content of the rice will replace muscle glycogen levels and refuel.

How do you make chicken and rice taste better? ›

When I cook rice, I usually add a little bit of salt, butter, and parsley to give it some more flavor. Then serve with a nice baked chicken seasoned with some rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic. If you only cook chicken and rice without seasoning then your cooking will be absolutely bland.

What makes chicken and rice good? ›

It's Nutritious

Chicken and rice are also nutritious options. In addition to being a lean protein, chicken provides the body with vital vitamins, minerals and other nutrients; rice is a good source of more than 15 essential nutrients, as well.

How many pounds of chicken do I need for 20 adults? ›

5lbs of meat per person at a party. So for 3lbs maybe 6. It also depends on how it's being served. If it's in a dish where the chicken is the main component maybe you'd need a little more chicken.

What part of the chicken takes the longest to cook? ›

Legs and thighs are the pieces that take the longest to cook by themselves. Weight: 4 to 8 oz. Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes per side if grilled; 40 to 50 minutes if roasted or simmered in a liquid.

Can I overcook chicken? ›

This is likely the most common mistake cooks make when it comes to chicken breasts. Of course, nobody wants a medium-rare chicken breast, but sometimes in an effort to fully cook our chicken breasts, we unintentionally overcook them. The result? An unpleasantly dry, chalky texture.

How much is one serving of chicken and rice? ›

There are about 448 calories in a serving of homemade chicken and rice. One serving contains a cup of rice and one skinless, 3-oz. chicken breast, or 3 oz.

Can I just eat chicken and rice every day? ›

A well-balanced diet should include a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats to ensure you receive adequate vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients (4). Eating only chicken and rice for a month may lead to nutrient deficiencies and associated health problems (13).

Is 2 cups of rice too much? ›

A standard serving size for rice ranges between 1/2 cup and 1 cup per person. The precise amount may vary depending on the rice type being cooked, but generally, 1/2 cup to 1 cup of cooked rice per serving is appropriate.

How much rice should I eat per meal? ›

The standard serving size of rice for adults is ½ cup of cooked rice, or about ¼ cup of dry rice. When cooked, this amount would look about the same size as a tennis ball or a baseball. You can also use a medium-size apple or orange or your fist as a size reference.

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