Are you ready for my most favorite stew EVER?! Good, because this Moroccan chicken stew is exactly what we need for those remaining chilly winter days.
A few weeks ago Tony was traveling, which meant I got the entire house to myself. When this happens, I love having a very clean house and then baking and cooking my heart out. I know most people don’t find cooking relaxing, but to me it acts as a therapy and invigorates my senses. I stop stressing out about my to-do list and just let the comfort of cooking my own meals, measuring out ingredients, hearing the sizzling in a pan and the delicious aromas take over.
Why else does cooking makes me feel good? Because it’s nurturing and about being in the moment. Not only for myself, but to others. I cook because I want to show my appreciation for others and hope they appreciate me back. It’s a give and take, wouldn’t you agree?
So today, I present you with this life-changing Moroccan chicken stew. I encourage you to spend a little time making this, listening to a good playlist, and simply taking time for yourself. Cooking can easily be a form of self-care and self-love.
This stew is the perfect recipe to say I love you with — whether that’s for you and you only, or for the ones you love.
What’s in this Moroccan Chicken Stew?
Chicken: I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe because they hold more juiciness and are still lean. You can also use bone-in chicken thighs and then simply discard the bones when shredding the chicken.
Pearl Couscous: I’ve recently fallen in love with pearl couscous, which is also known as Israeli couscous. It basically tastes like a mini gnocchi and is great for recipes. If you love couscous as much as I do, be sure to check out my best ever chicken soup & my butternut squash broccoli chicken couscous. Couscous is a very common ingredient in Morocco.
Veggies: this moroccan chicken stew recipe uses sweet potato, cauliflower, carrot and onion for an incredible texture and flavor profile. You definitely don’t want to skip any of these!
Low-sodium Chicken Broth: all of my recipes usually call for low-sodium chicken broth, that way you can control the amount of salt you want in the recipe. Bone broth would also be a great option in this soup!
Cozy Spices: this recipe calls for ground cinnamon, ground turmeric, cumin and black pepper. These spices are very common when it comes to Moroccan cooking.
Parsley: fresh parsley adds a nice brightness to any dish.
Pistachios: while it’s common to use almonds in Moroccan recipes, I love the addition of roasted pistachios.
Dried Cherries: you can also use dried cranberries, but I love how plump and juicy the dried cherries get when stirred into the stew.
More Moroccan-Inspired Recipes:
Moroccan Chickpea Quinoa Salad
Butternut Squash, Chickpea & Lentil Moroccan Stew
Coconut Curried Sweet Potato & Lentil Stew
See how to make the Moroccan Chicken Stew:
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and rate the recipe below letting us know how you liked it! You can also post a photo and tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram so I can see your creations. xo!
One Pot Moroccan Chicken Stew with Sweet Potato & Couscous
Ingredients
- For the stew:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 3 1/2 cups small cauliflower florets (from 1 small head of cauliflower)
- 1 medium sweet potato, diced into ½ inch cubes
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup pearl (israeli) couscous
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper
- Mix-ins:
- ⅓ cup chopped shelled roasted pistachios
- ½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- ½ cup dried cherries
- To garnish:
- Extra parsley & pistachios
Instructions
-
Add coconut oil to a large dutch oven or pot over medium high heat. Once coconut oil is melted, add in chicken thighs and generously season with salt and pepper. Brown chicken thighs for about 3-4 minutes per side. You do not need to cook completely. Remove chicken and transfer to a plate.
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Add in garlic, onion, carrot, cauliflower florets and diced sweet potato. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion begins to soften.
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Next stir in spices: ground turmeric, cumin, cinnamon. Let spices cook for 30 more seconds to enhance flavors, then add the chicken thighs back into the pot. Slowly add in chicken broth, then couscous and salt and pepper. Stir to combine and make sure the chicken is well coated with the broth. Bring to to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove the lid, stir and allow to simmer uncovered for 10-15 more minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. At this point, you can remove the chicken and shred then add back to the pot, or you can leave as is and serve with larger chicken pieces (and eat with a fork and knife). I like to shred the chicken but either way this recipe is simply fabulous.
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Next, gently stir in the chopped pistachios, parsley and dried cherries. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary, adding more salt and pepper if desired. Serve with extra parsley + a few crushed pistachios on top. Serves 6. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
To make gluten free: I suggest using regular white basmati rice or quinoa. Brown rice will take too long to cook.
You could also use barley, but please note that this is not gluten free.
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by Eat Love Eats
114 comments
I wonder how/if I could make this in my new tagine?
I haven’t tried it, let us know if you do!
Can you do with chicken breast?
Sure!
This looks delicious!! Loveeeee me some cous cous. Thoughts on replacing sweet potato? The man child is crazy and won’t touch them
I used more carrots! Sister cant stand sweet potatoes 🙁
So good!! Feel free to swap with another veggie or add more of the veggies listed 🙂
This recipe looks amazing!! Any suggestions for cook time if making this in the Instant Pot?
I actually don’t use an Instant Pot so I’m not sure! Let me know if you try it 🙂
I used my instapot and it worked great! Cannot remember the cooking time? but I looked at the ingredients and figured out a time that seemed to fit with everything! I used millet instead of rice and the cauliflower did not fit as I doubled the amounts! Going to try my crockpot today!
I made it this evening … and it was PHENOMENAL! Don’t wait… make this if you’re even remotely thinking about it. Only mods I made were adding a small shallot because we like the flavor … and topping with some avocado and a side green salad. I’m pretty sure this is my favorite recipe I’ve ever made … and was rather quick to make
Amazing! So happy to hear that. Shallot + avocado sound delicious 🙂
I don’t have a dutch oven so I used a giant soup pot and I used chicken breast instead of thighs because that’s what I had. This recipe is delicious, but I used more of each spice than recommended in the recipe. Next time I’d probably add a second medium sweet potato and carrot too.
Perfect!
SOOO good!!! With the cherries and pistaschios, every bite was different 🙂
Aren’t the flavors amazing?? Love the bites of cherries + pistachios too!
Could this recipe be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth and replacing chicken with chickpeas? Sounds so delicious and I’d love to try but am vegetarian!
That’s what I did.. And it is amazing!
Hi Meg! I saw that a reader did this and loved it 🙂 Sounds great to me!
Yeah, I’m replacing the chicken with shiitake mushrooms 🙂
Made this vegetarian with chickpeas and veggie broth instead… It is SO good! This one is making it to the recipe box 🗃
Perfect!! <3
Really enjoyed this! Even my husband couldn’t fault it!!
For a first attempt it was easy and turned out really well. When I make it again I might add a sprinkle of chilli flakes for a little heat.
So happy to hear that! It would be delicious with a kick of heat too 🙂
This was so delicious! Even my 18 month old gobbled it up! Thank you for bringing amazing recipes!!
Amazing!! I’m so glad 🙂
This turned out amazing! I used chicken breast and added cayenne for some heat – will definitely be making this again and so obsessed with the pearl couscous!!
Perfect! Isn’t the couscous amazing? New fav.
I really wanted to love this. I was so excited to make it and thought it would be the perfect cozy weekend meal. However, it came out incredibly bland and underwhelming. Maybe like someone else suggested, it needs double the spice? Im not quite sure but I’m super disappointed in this one
Hi Emily – so sorry to hear that. I’ve found this recipe to be perfectly spiced, but everyone’s taste preferences are different. This one is easy for adjusting, too, to your preferences.
Looks good but You need to update your post for GF replacements for couscous. Barely is not gluten free…
You’re right! I had included it as a regular alternative, but see how that could be confusing. Updated!
This recipe is fantastic! So delicious and flavorful. This will definitely be a new staple for us. 🙂 Thank you!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
This is one of my new favourite dishes! I can’t stop eating it! Used quinoa and cranberries instead of couscous and cherries. My picky family members even loved it! This is going to the top of my weekly list!!
Perfect! So happy to hear that.
I love love love this recipe!!! I usually judge how my dinner turns out by how many helpings my husband has. He had 3 servings of this stew!!! Totally fabulous! Thank you!
Amazing!! So happy to hear that 🙂
Just made this exactly as the recipe instructs, except I found I had to double the spices. Soo good!
Noted on the spices – glad you enjoyed!
This was so good and one of those dishes you just want to keep eating! I used golden raisins in place of dried cherries, just for preference, but all the flavors were spot on.
Absolutely! And golden raisins sound perfect in here.
That can happen with sweet potato & cauliflower! Next time I would just cook them down for less time 🙂
AMAZING and husband approved 👍🏻 The only swap I made was using dried apricots instead of cherries because I had them on hand. Thank you!
Perfect! So glad you both loved it (and apricots sound delicious!)
Any Suggestions on how you could cook this in a slow cooker???
Cook everything but the couscous on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours. You may need to use about 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup less chicken broth. During the last 20 minutes of cooking, add the couscous and replace the lid. Let cook for 20 minutes or until couscous is fully cooked.
Delicious!
Such a great dinner!
Hi Monique! I am obsessed with your recipes and have been making them for 3 months now. Finally leaving a comment. This dish is amazing and I am eating it right now, wanting seconds! After losing some extra weight I’ve gained over the past 2 years, I needed recipes that were going to keep me healthy, full and on track to maintain my current weight. I’m not sure how many of your recipes I’ve made, but I would say at least 30! Thanks to you and exercise of course, I’ve maintained my weight for 3 months. Thank you and please don’t stop making your beautiful creations!
Hi Kat! Thank you so much for your comment. I’m glad you’re finding tons of healthy, delicious recipes here, and I promise to keep them coming 🙂 Enjoy!
Delicious! I used chicken breast instead of thigh, added zucchini for extra veg and used saltanas instead of cherries. Such a great recipe! Thank you!
Love those add-ins! 🙂
Could I sub lentils (brown or red) for the couscous, do you think?
Sure, that sounds delicious! You might also like this stew: https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/butternut-squash-chickpea-lentil-moroccan-stew/
This is delicious! used dried cranberries instead and it was so good. Made the portion for meal prep so I kept out the nuts and the berries until I warm it up and it’s seriously satisfying.
Perfect! Love this one for meal prep 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
Delicious! I adapted it a bit for our preferences, so instead of sweet potato and cauliflower I did mirepoix, chickpeas, and chicken. I also used dried cranberries instead of cherries. The pistachios and cranberries made the dish! Mine was really brothy even once the couscous was ready, so I just drained off some of the liquid. I froze the extras and just defrosted some for lunch- it holds up really well!
Glad those swaps worked out well! The sweet potato & cauliflower add a bit more substance with the couscous, which might be why yours ended up brothy. Great idea to freeze this for later – YUM!
This was DELICIOUS! I love all of your recipes 🙂
So glad you liked it! Thanks Noémie 🙂
This looks delicious! I plan to make it tonight with regular potatoes and raisins. (I don’t have sweet potatoes or dried cherries, and my daughter is allergic to nuts) Looking forward to it!
Let me know how you liked it! Such a great weeknight dinner.
Hi – have you ever tried this recipe with quinoa! We have celiac in the family and can’t eat coucous anymore. I am so sad – but am trying to be creative. Thoughts?
Hi! Yes, quinoa or white basmati rice should work. Let me know if you try it!
This stew was delish! I don’t own a dutch oven, but it cooked really well in just a regular large pot. Like a few others, I did end up doubling on the spices to add a more rich flavor. We made the recipe and had plenty of leftovers that were just as tasty the next day! Thanks again!
Perfect! So glad you liked this one. Great for weeknight dinners!
So good! My fiance and I loved it! Going to make again next week!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
This was so, so good! The kitchen smelled amazing as this stew was simmering- love that. Made the recipe exactly as written though I subbed roasted, salted almonds for the pistachios since pistachios were like one million dollars at my local store. Anyway, I’ll be making this again and again this fall and winter. <3
Aren’t those flavors incredible? So glad you enjoyed! Great idea to swap with some almonds, too.
Amazing dish! The flavors were so unique and my family loved it. Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect. My only mistake was chopping The sweet potatoes too small because they were a little musher than I wanted. Freezing the left overs!
So happy to hear that! Easy fix to keep the sweet potatoes a little bit larger next time 🙂
One of my new favorite recipes! I meal prepped and ate it for 5 straight days and wanted it the next week again!
Love that! I do it all the time with this recipe 😉
Really good. Added more salt and crushed red pepper for some heat.
Love the kick of heat – glad you enjoyed!
I made this meal tonight and it was a huge hit! I have made a couple of other recipes of yours and each time we have loved them. Keep up the great work!
So happy to hear that, Maria! I hope you keep finding recipes you love here 🙂
This was absolutely fantastic. Made it in advance and re-heated it with a bit of water a few days later. Rave reviews.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed.
Hi! I love your blog and recipes, we cook your recipes at least once a week! I tried making this yesterday as a meal prep for the week and the couscous turned all clumpy and mushed together once it was done cooking. It was so hard to stir! Any suggestions on how to fix this for next time?
Hi Danielle! Sounds like you may have overcooked the couscous or had it over too high of heat. I would try again and make sure you follow the amounts as indicated, including the right amount of liquid (should be fairly saucy when you add the couscous) and then make sure your heat isn’t too high!
Is it possible to freeze the leftovers, or does that ruin the texture?
I think it would work just fine! 🙂
This was one of my favorite recipes this year!! So good and easy to make. I secretly think the leftovers are better the next day!
Love that! And yes this makes the best leftovers.
Really good recipe. Didn’t have coconut oil so I used olive oil. Didn’t have tumeric so I used grounded ginger. Great blend of veggies and great taste. Keep them coming!
Perfect! I’m so glad you enjoyed. The perfect weeknight dinner 🙂
I haven’t tried making this yet, but what, in terms of a salad or the like, what would you recommend serving with?
It’s deliciously filling as-is but this broccoli salad would be delicious to pair with it: https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/vegan-curried-broccoli-chickpea-salad/, or this simple arugula & sweet potato salad: https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/roasted-sweet-potato-arugula-salad/
Perfectly cozy! We make this regularly!
Amazing! One of my favs for winter 🙂
This is such a good dish to make and have all week! Amazing flavors.
Absolutely – one of my all time favorites!
Would this freeze well? Wondering if I could make for meal prep
I think it would freeze beautifully!
This was absolutely delicious!! I used chicken breast tenders and substituted dried cranberries for the cherries and it came out so well! Whole family loved it and the kitchen smelled so wonderful with all the spices wafting through the air. I increased the recipe by 50 percent and probably could have doubled it because it was such a hit. Will definitely make this again!!
Perfect! So glad everyone loved this one 🙂 it makes great leftovers, too!
Looks delicious – just a note, in the section with tips to make gluten free, barley is not gluten free!
Yes, thank you for the catch! I’ve updated to make this more clear 🙂
I made it today for lunch and everybody loved it!
Amazing! So happy to hear that.
Excited to make this tonight! Would regular couscous work in place of pearl? Thanks in advance 🙂
Yes but I might suggest quinoa or rice instead!
This is of my all time favorite recipes!!!!
One of mine, too!!
This is hands down one of my husband and I’d ultimate favorite dishes! It’s so easy to prepare and it is super flavorful and delicious!!! It’s a must make for everyone!!
Loved this! Tastes amazing! I followed the recipe but next time I make it I plan to add a lot of red chilli flakes for some heat.
I absolutely can not get enough of this recipe, it is exquisite! I’ve been making it for my family over the past 7 weeks of quarantine and it has been a true highlight of our weeks. I added a few more carrots and extra cinnamon, but regardless of any modifications this recipe is a winner! Thank you for sharing!
Yummy recipe! I know my family prefers heavily spiced foods so I knew I had to double the amount of cumin and turmeric but I actually decreased the amount of cinnamon to 1/2 teaspoon because while the warmth from cinnamon is wonderful, I didn’t want the dish to be overpowered with just that flavor. I used 2 smallish sweet potatoes, another small carrot, a pinch of red pepper flakes but I think I should have added 2 pinches. If I had been able to buy a fresh hot pepper, I would have included it but with the craziness of grocery shopping during the pandemic, you never know what you will not be able to find. I had to use white quinoa because Sprouts was out of Israeli couscous and basmati rice. It was a delicious substitute but it soaked up more liquid so I just added extra chicken broth. There were no dried cherries so I used raisins and I used sliced almonds. After making a mess sautéing the chicken (oil everywhere even though I used a splatter screen), I think next time, I’ll just poach/shred it first or perhaps chop it into small pieces and sauté. Lastly, there was no cauliflower so I used broccoli. I added the small florets about 5 minutes before serving to avoid having mushy broccoli. Next time I think I’ll use 1 sweet potato and add chick peas (they make everything taste good). We are looking forward to the leftovers.
Perfect! I’m glad that all worked out well!
This was a delicious dinner! Everyone (including the 8 yr old) gobbled it and had seconds! So flavorful! So glad I found you on Pinterest 😁
So happy to hear that!!