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    Home » Paleo Recipes

    Moroccan-Style Roast Chicken Recipe

    Last Modified: Jan 18, 2023 by Paleo Leaper · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    The humble chicken is one of the thriftiest Paleo meals around – much, much cheaper than buying just the breasts or the wings.

    For a family, it’s dinner; for a single person, it’s a hearty meal with plenty of leftovers for soup, salad, and broth. The typical way to prepare a chicken is to roast it, but it’s all too easy to get stuck in a rut making the same roast chicken again and again until you never want to see a bird again!

    Moroccan-Style Roast Chicken

    This recipe is an antidote to any roast chicken boredom that might have entered your kitchen. A colorful spice rub adds a warm, earthy flavor to the meat and the dates in the stuffing balance out the heat of the spices with just a hint of sweetness. It’s a little bit exotic and a whole lot of delicious.

    As an additional point in its favor, this recipe cooks a vegetable side dish right inside the bird, so you don’t have to worry about making vegetables separately.

    So it’s perfect for a busy evening when you can’t find time to cook a vegetable side (and then clean up another set of pans). If you do want a little something extra to go with it, try a recipe that uses mint: roasted cauliflower with mint and pomegranate would be an excellent choice.

    When you’re cooking a chicken, you definitely don’t want to overcook, or you’ll lose that juicy tenderness and end up with dry, unappetizing meat.

    The recipe here is written for a 4-pound chicken, but especially if you’re using a free-range chicken, your bird might be smaller (so it won’t require as much cooking time). To test for doneness, simply pierce the chicken’s thigh with a fork: when the fork slides in evenly, it’s ready to eat.

    Moroccan-Style Roast Chicken Recipe

    SERVES: 4 PREP: 20 min COOK: 1h 10 min

    Ingredients

    • 4 lb. whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry;
    • 1 onion, chopped;
    • 1 zucchini, minced;
    • 6 fresh or dried dates, pitted and roughly chopped;
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced;
    • 2 carrots, minced;
    • 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced;
    • ½ tsp. paprika;
    • ¾ tsp. ground cumin;
    • ½ teaspoon dried oregano;
    • ¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper;
    • ¼ tsp. ground turmeric;
    • 1 cinnamon stick;
    • 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil;
    • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste;
    • Cooking twine;

    Ingredients for the spice rub

    • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil;
    • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon;
    • ½ tsp. cumin;
    • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;
    Moroccan-Style Roast Chicken Recipe Preparation

    Preparation

    1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
    2. Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic, and cook until soft (2 to 3 minutes).
    3. Add the zucchini, dates, ginger, paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, and turmeric, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir everything and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
    4. Spoon the mixture into the chicken cavity and add the cinnamon stick. Tie the chicken's legs together with the cooking string.
    5. Place the chicken breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan.
    6. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the rub, and rub it over the chicken.
    7. Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting every 20 minutes with the remaining rub mixture.
    Moroccan-Style Roast Chicken Recipe

    Moroccan-Style Roast Chicken Recipe

    Bored of the same old roast chicken? Spice it up with a variation that's delicious enough to pull you out of a rut, but easy enough for a busy weeknight.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr 10 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Moroccan
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 1198 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 lb. whole chicken rinsed and patted dry
    • 1 onion chopped
    • 1 zucchini minced
    • 6 fresh or dried dates pitted and roughly chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 2 carrots minced
    • 1 tbsp. fresh ginger minced
    • ½ tsp. paprika
    • ¾ tsp. ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
    • ¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
    • ¼ tsp. ground turmeric
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
    • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
    • Cooking twine

    Ingredients for the spice rub

    • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
    • ½ tsp. cumin
    • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat your oven to 350 F.
    • Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic, and cook until soft (2 to 3 minutes).
      1 onion, 2 carrots, 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, 2 cloves garlic
    • Add the zucchini, dates, ginger, paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, and turmeric, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir everything and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
      1 zucchini, 6 fresh or dried dates, 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, ½ tsp. paprika, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp. ground turmeric, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, ½ tsp. cumin, Cooking twine
    • Spoon the mixture into the chicken cavity and add the cinnamon stick. Tie the chicken’s legs together with the cooking string.
      4 lb. whole chicken, 1 cinnamon stick
    • Place the chicken breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan.
    • In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the rub, and rub it over the chicken.
      ¾ tsp. ground cumin, ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
    • Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting every 20 minutes with the remaining rub mixture.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 1198kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 86gFat: 87gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 17gMonounsaturated Fat: 41gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 340mgSodium: 331mgPotassium: 1185mgFiber: 3gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1883IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 103mgIron: 6mg
    Keyword moroccan, roast chicken
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Filed Under: Paleo Chicken and Poultry Recipes, Paleo Recipes Tagged With: cooking: fast prep, cooking: oven, cooking: stovetop, diet: dairy-free, diet: egg-free, diet: no sweeteners, diet: nut-free, diet: shellfish-free, good for leftovers, Paleo Budget-Friendly Recipes, Paleo Dinner Recipes, Paleo Kid-Friendly Recipes, Paleo Low-Carb Recipes

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