Baked Moroccan Chicken Thighs

With the cooler temperatures rapidly marching towards us, I am already dreaming of savory soups, stews and meat braising in wine and aromatics on my stovetop. There is nothing that says “Welcome home, I missed you,” quite like the smell that greets you when you open the door and a wonderful meal is being prepared.

Baked Moroccan Chicken Thighs is quick to make and so rich in flavor!!

While most people are busy with work, kids and overextended schedules, it is often family meals that are the sacrificial lamb, purely due to lack of time. One of my favorite go-to meals when I am short on time is Baked Moroccan Chicken Thighs. This is something I used to make in my crock pot when my own kids were little. Back then I was, “The Queen of the Crock Pot.” That is an actual title, held by yours truly, in the pageants of my mind!

The beauty of these Baked Moroccan Chicken Thighs is you can make up your spice mix ahead of time and then when you are ready to make dinner, you simply dip your chicken thighs into the prepared spices and place on a baking sheet lined with foil and coated in olive oil. Then you simply pop it into the oven and 45 minutes later its done. I usually make a quick batch of couscous with peas or peppers while the chicken cooks.

Baked Moroccan Chicken Thighs are simply, chicken thighs coated in a slightly sweet and spicy seasoning blend, cooked until fall apart tender!!

Baked Moroccan Chicken Thighs has morphed from the original recipe I used to make in the crock pot. Over the years, I have tweaked it to our changing palate and bake it now instead of toss it in the crock pot. In a pinch, I may still make it crock pot style, but I find the seasoned and baked skin is so crunchy and flavorful, that my family prefers it baked now.

To make Baked Moroccan Chicken Thighs, mix the spices, then dip the front and back of each chicken piece into the spices and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil, drizzled with olive oil. I am all about quick and easy clean up, so I normally use foil instead of worrying about clean up later.

Once the chicken is baked, I like to place a bed of rice, or spiced couscous on the plate and nestle the chicken on that. You can drizzle with the extra juices if you like. I serve it with cilantro and lime that I squeeze over the chicken just before eating. The lime adds a nice acidic contrast to the slightly sweet chicken skin.

This is wonderful leftover for lunch the next day or for another dinner altogether. You can eat it cold or warm it in the microwave for few minutes. I hope you give these wonderful Baked Moroccan Chicken Thighs a try, they are just delicious! Enjoy friends!

Baked Moroccan Chicken Thighs utilize simple spices that come together to create amazing middle eastern flavors. Do you have a recipe that has wonderful Moroccan yumminess?