Moroccan Inspired Chicken Stew

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Moroccan Inspired Chicken Stew has a unique, delicious flavor! It’s a hearty soup that makes a delicious meal. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and crusty bread.

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This recipe was a surprise hit with everyone when I first made it a few years ago.  My fiancé turns his nose up at the idea of eating soup for lunch or dinner. He doesn’t consider it a meal, but rather a starter or appetizer. However, one bite of this Moroccan Chicken Stew, and his mind was forever changed.

This soup recipe is hearty! Not only does it have plenty of chicken, but there are carrots and chickpeas to bulk it up even more!

The unique flavor comes from a combination of fire-roasted tomatoes, cumin, cilantro, and lemon! Blended together, it’s all so delicious!

The recipe does have a little heat to it, but it’s not so much that my 10-year-old son couldn’t eat it. He actually loves this stew. While he’s not a fan of the chunks of tomatoes, he raves about how good the rest is. I have told him that one of these days, I’ll make it without the red pepper flakes and I’ll puree the tomatoes for him.

The flavors of this soup seem to get better the longer it has to meld all together, making any leftovers even more tasty! It also freezes well, so you can make a double batch and freeze the extra stew in individual containers for easy meals all season long!

Moroccan Inspired Chicken Stew

Prep!

There is a bit of prep work for this recipe. You’ll need to peel and slice the carrots and shallots, mince the garlic and cilantro, zest the lemon, and drain the chickpeas.

You will also need to cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.

Create!

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the carrots and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add in the garlic, cumin, paprika, and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in both stocks, chickpeas, and tomatoes.

OPTIONAL: In a blender, puree about 4 cups of the mixture until smooth and add back into the pot. Increase heat and bring to a boil. This will give you a thicker, more stew-like soup. I’ve made this recipe both ways and prefer to skip this step now, just out of ease and not having to clean out the blender.

In a separate large skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the skillet. Cook until golden and juices run clear, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the cooked chicken to the stew and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer about 5 minutes to heat through. Stir in the cilantro and lemon zest.

Present!

Serve the soup with a dollop of Greek yogurt, extra fresh cilantro, and lemon wedges, if desired. A slice of crusty bread on the side doesn’t hurt either!

Enjoy!

Tips and Techniques

• Pureeing half of the stew mixture, before the chicken is added to, it will give you a thicker base.
• Don’t worry about making too much! Leftovers are even more tasty as the flavors will continue to blend together.
• This stew also freezes well. Freeze in individual size containers for easy meals!

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Moroccan Chicken Stew

Moroccan Chicken Stew has a unique, delicious flavor that comes from a combination of chicken, vegetables, and spices. It’s a healthy, yet hearty, recipe that makes for a very filling meal.

Course Main Dish, Soup

Cuisine American, Chicken, Gluten Free

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 454kcal

Author Lauren Vavala

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil * divided
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts * cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 shallots * finely diced
• 1 pound carrots * peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 10 cloves garlic * minced
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes * optional
• 4 cups chicken stock * use gluten free, if necessary
• 2 cups vegetable stock * use gluten free, if necessary
• 2 15.5 ounce cans chickpeas * drained
• 2 14.5 ounce cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup cilantro leaves * loosely packed, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest * from one large lemon
• Greek yogurt for serving * optional
• fresh cilantro for serving * optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large Dutch Oven (or skillet) over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and add it to the pot. Cook until golden and juices run clear, about 5-7 minutes. Remove to a plate and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the Dutch oven or a stock pot, then add the shallots and carrots. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Mix in the garlic, cumin, paprika, and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in both the chicken and vegetable stocks, chickpeas, and tomatoes.
• Optional, but recommended: In a blender, puree about 4 cups of the mixture until smooth and add it back into the pot. Increase heat and bring to a boil. This will make your soup, more of a stew.
• Add the cooked chicken back to the stew and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer about 5 minutes to heat through. Stir in the cilantro and lemon zest.
• Serve the soup with a dollop of Greek yogurt, extra fresh cilantro and lemon zest, if desired.

Notes

Tips and Techniques

• Pureeing half of the stew mixture, before the chicken is added to, will give you a thicker base. It's an optional step, but recommended so that your stew isn't more of a soup.
• Don't worry about making too much. Leftovers are even more tasty as the flavors will continue to blend together.
• This stew freezes well. Freeze in individual size containers for easy meals.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-4 days.

** Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 454kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 897mg | Potassium: 1135mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 10349IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 5mg

This recipe was originally published on January 4, 2016. Images were updated and a few minor tweaks were made to the recipe in August 2018.