Moroccan Saffron Chicken

By
Christine Benlafquih
Christine Benlafquih
Christine Benlafquih
Christine Benlafquih is a freelance writer and cooking class instructor with a background in Moroccan cuisine.
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Updated on 12/28/22
Moroccan saffron chicken recipe

The Spruce 

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 75 mins
Servings: 4 servings

This dish of chicken cooked with lots of onions, saffron, and other Moroccan spices is easy to make and is the savory foundation to a number of delicious Moroccan specialties such as chicken bastilla and chicken briouats. 

Saffron threads, a featured seasoning in Moroccan cooking, are the stigmas from a small purple crocus. Saffron is the world's most expensive spice by weight since each flower has only three stigmas, which have to be carefully hand-picked and dried, resulting in the saffron threads we find in jars on store shelves. Since this is a laborious process, and it takes over 14,000 of tiny stigmas to create an ounce of saffron, the spice comes with a hefty price tag. Fortunately, a little goes a long way.

You'll be tempted to eat this tender, flavorful chicken right from the pot, but it is best served on a bed of Moroccan rice pilaf or in seffa medfouna.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces and skin removed

  • 2 large sweet white onions, or yellow onions, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 (2- to 3-inch) pieces cinnamon stick

  • 1 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric

  • 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt

  • 1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Moroccan saffron chicken
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  2. Mix all ingredients in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot.

    Mix ingredients in pot
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  3. Cover and cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is very tender and pulls easily off the bone. Do not add water, and be careful not to burn the chicken.

    Cook and cover
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  4. Reduce the liquids until they are mostly oils. Discard the cinnamon sticks and taste for seasoning. (The sauce should be a bit salty and peppery.)

    Reduce liquids
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  5. Serve the chicken and sauce on a bed of rice or hidden within a mound of steamed broken vermicelli or couscous.

    Serve the chicken and sauce on rice
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  6. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
651 Calories
48g Fat
6g Carbs
47g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 651
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 48g 62%
Saturated Fat 16g 78%
Cholesterol 182mg 61%
Sodium 1289mg 56%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 47g
Vitamin C 2mg 12%
Calcium 49mg 4%
Iron 3mg 18%
Potassium 482mg 10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)