A healthy Grilled Moroccan Chicken recipe is the perfect summer dinner! We love this healthy grilled chicken recipe for adding to salads or serving alongside roasted veggies. The marinade keeps the chicken incredible moist and infuses the best flavors!
We are really loving the Oregon summer! The predictably warm weather in Malaysia can get. . . boring. Having cool mornings and evenings, and even the occasional cool day in August keeps things interesting!
We’ve had days we’ve huddled inside and made warming summer soups, and days we’ve played all day in the backyard grilling up dishes like this chicken.
Summer recipes should be easy! And bonus if they can be grilled – because who wants to heat up the house?
We always double this grilled Moroccan chicken. The marinade takes minutes to put together, and the result is chicken that grills up super moist, that is the perfect addition to salads or just eaten alongside veggies.
Contents
Anti Inflammatory Spices
Why should we care about inflammation? Inflammation is the cause of many chronic illnesses, such as arthritis, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer. The typical American diet is inflammatory (processed grains, saturated and trans fats, sugars).
There are many ways to reduce inflammation in the body, including eating more fiber, less sugar, and more Omega-3 fatty acids.
A tasty way to dress up those veggies and fish? Adding spices with anti-inflammatory properties.
Ginger and Turmeric are 2 out of the top 4 anti inflammatory spices. Cinnamon and cayenne are two others that top this list of health-enhancing spices.
Meat, including chicken, is naturally inflammatory. Instead of going vegan, a more moderate approach to protect your health is to mitigate the inflammation with heavy doses of healing spices!
Tips for Grilled Moroccan Chicken
- The marinade is no fuss- if you only have 15 minutes to let it sit, it will help! However, the longer the better. I usually aim for 2-3 hours, but overnight is better.
- Using a marinade makes it much easier to keep chicken moist. However, cooking on too high of a heat will end up turning your chicken into jerky regardless of how you’ve prepped it! I start my chicken over the hottest part of the grill (usually the center), and after the bottom side has nice grill marks, I move it to the edge away from the high heat, and continue to grill slowly until chicken is cooked through.
Grilled Moroccan Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon coriander
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne optional, to taste
Instructions
- In a covered dish, drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over chicken.
- In a small bowl, mix together spices and salt. Evening coat chicken in spices.
- Refrigerate and marinate for 2 hours to overnight.
- Heat up the BBQ grill to a medium-hot temperature. Add chicken, and leave on about 5 minutes, or until grill marks have been made.
- Move chicken away from the heat, and continue to cook on a lower heat for 15-25 minutes, occasionally flipping the chicken, until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove from heat, and allow to settle for 5 minutes before cutting or serving.
Nutrition
More Spiced-Up Chicken Recipes
- Grilled Cajun Chicken Salad, by Cafe Delights
- Cumin Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Chimichurri Sauce, by Cooking Classy
- Asian Five Spiced Chicken, by Rasa Malaysia
- Barbecued Dry Rubbed Chicken, by Goldilocks Kitchen
Turmeric and ginger are fantastic! I load the turmeric in everything I eat…everything!
I need to use it more often! I use it in just about every chicken marinade, but need to find other uses 🙂 I tried fresh turmeric in a juice once– it was terrible! I used too much and it was so sticky and strong!
Your chicken looks delicious! I’m hoping the anti-inflammatory ingredients work! Thanks.
This is amazing..