Chicken needs a change-up every now and then. Moroccan Chicken Stew is the perfect one-pot healthy meal that everyone in your family will love, made with lemon, and chicken legs!
One food that can get a little boring is chicken. There’s fried chicken, baked chicken, and so many other varieties that can feel overdone. Brighten up your next chicken dish by taking inspiration from another country!
For example, this Moroccan-inspired chicken stew is the perfect meal to inspire new ways of flavoring poultry. Folks from Morocco, please do not be offended! This is an American’s take on the flavors of your country.
Fresh chicken legs, lemon, and celery cook together in a flavorful, yet spicy sauce. Since the dish has lots of flavorful broth, serve with a side of rice to soak up all that flavor. This dish will be your new weeknight go-to!
Can You Overcook Chicken Legs?
It is almost impossible to overcook dark chicken meat. Dark chicken meat is considered to be any meat that is not breast meat. This means the legs and thighs are dark meat, and the breast and wings are white meat.
Since legs are considered dark meat, they lend well to long cooking times. The longer legs cook, the more tender and juicy they become. Be sure to give your legs enough time to cook until tender, about 1.5 hours.
Ingredients in Moroccan Chicken Stew
- 6 bone-in chicken legs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground lemon (can also use preserved lemon)
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ onion, sliced
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup green olives with pimentos
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1-2 cups kale, lightly chopped
- 2 tbsp sliced roasted almonds, for serving
- Freshly chopped herbs, for serving
How to Make Moroccan Chicken Stew
Begin by marinating the chicken. In a bowl, add the chicken legs, oil, ginger, paprika, cayenne, lemon, turmeric, Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to mix the marinade well over the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to overnight.
When ready to cook, heat a large Dutch oven over medium, adding a little more olive oil. Sear the chicken legs on all sides until golden brown. Once browned, remove the chicken from the pan.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the onions and celery. Cook for 5 minutes until they soften, then add the garlic.
Deglaze the pan with the water or stock, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the olives and lemon zest and bring to a simmer. Place the chicken back in the pot, nestling it into the broth.
Simmer uncovered for 1-2 hours until the chicken is very tender. If the broth evaporates too quickly, add more liquid 1 cup at a time. You can also cover the pan once the broth has reduced. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the kale and allow it to wilt.
When ready to serve, spoon into bowls. Top with almonds and fresh herbs. Serve hot with cauliflower rice on the side.
Moroccan Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in chicken legs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground lemon, or preserved lemon/lemon juice
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup green olives with pimentos
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1-2 cups kale, lightly chopped
- 2 tbsp sliced roasted almonds, for topping
- freshly chopped herbs, for topping
- cooked cauliflower rice, for serving
Instructions
- Begin by marinating the chicken. In a bowl, add the chicken legs, oil, ginger, paprika, cayenne, lemon, turmeric, Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to mix the marinade well over the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to overnight.
- When ready to cook, heat a large Dutch oven over medium, adding a little more olive oil. Sear the chicken legs on all sides until golden brown. Once browned, remove the chicken from the pan.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the onions and celery. Cook for 5 minutes until they soften, then add the garlic.
- Deglaze the pan with the water or stock, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the olives and lemon zest and bring to a simmer. Place the chicken back in the pot, nestling it into the broth.
- Simmer uncovered for 1-2 hours until the chicken is very tender. If the broth evaporates too quickly, add more liquid 1 cup at a time. You can also cover the pan once the broth has reduced. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the kale and allow it to wilt.
- When ready to serve, spoon into bowls. Top with almonds and fresh herbs. Serve hot.
