Ah, one pan. Music to my ears. It seems I have made it my life’s mission to show people that cooking healthfully is not some huge, unattainable chore. I love finding and creating recipes that come together quickly, have easy-to-find ingredients, and don’t use every dish in the house to make.
So, I was intrigued when I found this One Pan Moroccan Chicken from A Communal Table. I made a few adaptations and shared my version below.
This dish starts with brining the chicken in our Lemon Garlic dressing, then adds rich depth of flavor from sautéing onions in spices such as ginger, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, and turmeric, long known for their healing properties. The warming spices are grounding for wintertime and make a delicious sauce (no seriously, I licked the pan it was so good) that is best soaked up with rice.
Related: Using Healthy Harvest Greek adds a ton of health benefits to your dish!
This dish would make the perfect Valentine’s Day main course. It is quick and easy, yet tastes exotic and looks beautiful. And best of all it won’t stress you out!
Then, after dinner, cleanse your palette with this Love is in the Air Lime-Mint Fizz cocktail before things heat up.
- ½ cup Healthy Harvest lemon garlic dressing (or green olive brine)
- ½ lemon, thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons Healthy Harvest extra virgin olive oil
- 4 medium sized organic chicken thighs (any cut will do, but dark meat adds amazing flavor)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 medium yellow onions, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup Healthy Harvest green olives
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Marinade chicken breasts in Lemon Garlic dressing if desired. This is optional but will help keep the chicken juicy and flavorful. We prefer skin on for the incredible flavor it adds.
- Heat a large saute pan with a lid over medium high heat. Add the lemon slices and cook until slices are caramelized. About 3 minutes. Remove the lemon slices and reserve.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, and add the chicken, skin side down.
- Cook for 3- 5 minutes until chicken is browned. If chicken releases easily from the pan, it's ready to turn. Turn chicken and cook until remaining side is browned. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic, ginger, paprika, cumin and turmeric, and cinnamon. Stir for about 1 minute.
- Add the water and stir, scraping up the brown bits on the pan.
- Add the chicken pieces back to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the lid and add the olives and fresh lemon juice.
- Serve over couscous or rice.
- Garnish with the lemon slices and fresh parsley