Moroccan chermoula-spiced chicken

From North Africa to India to Southeast Asia, turmeric is widely used for its healing properties, and its power to impart a bold color and flavor to food.

A touch of turmeric creates all time favorites such as Malaysian satay, Chả Cá Thăng Long (Vietnamese Hanoi-style fish with turmeric and dill), Spanish paella, Indonesian beef rendang, the humble Indian aloo gobi (roasted cauliflower), and the endless curries that would never taste – or look – the same without this special spice.

For anyone wanting to try out turmeric, I found Moroccan cuisine a great place to start. I had my first Moroccan dish during a trip to Sydney and was delighted by the taste of the lemony North African marinade known as Chermoula.

Simply blend or pound together fresh cilantro, parsley, and garlic, as well as turmeric powder, cumin, and sweet Hungarian paprika. Then drizzle in olive oil and lemon juice to form the spice blend into Chermoula paste. Rub the paste over your choice of meat, and let the flavors infuse for a few hours, or overnight.

You can grill, oven-roast or pan fry. The Chermoula tenderizes and gives the meat a bright lemony profile, with the complementing flavors of turmeric and fresh herbs. I often use this marinade on chicken and roasted red snapper, but goes well with all kinds of meats or vegetables.

A wonderful way to add a touch of turmeric to your holiday dishes!

Chermoula Spiced Roasted Chicken

Try this recipe on chicken or even fish, and you'll be the hit of your next potluck.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 50 mins

Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mideast/Mediterranean

Ingredients

  

• 4 pieces of chicken leg thigh & drumstick or 6 pieces of chicken thigh
• 1 small red onion chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried or fresh parsley leaves chopped
• 1 tbsp Season with Spice’s Turmeric Powder
• 1/2 tbsp Season with Spice’s ground cumin
• 1/2 tbsp Season with Spice’s ground coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon Season with Spice’s sweet Hungarian paprika
• Dash of Kashmiri Chili Powder optional
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tsp lemon zest optional
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Blend the chopped onion, garlic and fresh herbs using a food processor or pound them together using a mortar and pestle.
• In a bowl, combine the blended mixture with all the ground spices. Then add in olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix well until you obtain a yellow paste.
• Make 2-3 light scores on each chicken piece. This will allow the chermoula marinade to penetrate the meat nicely.
• Season the chicken with a tiny pinch of salt before you rub them thoroughly with the chermoula paste. Marinate for one hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Place the marinated chicken on baking sheet and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Roast for 40-50 minutes.
• Serve hot. Squeeze over some lemon juice if desired.

Notes

1. I used a mortar and pestle to pound the onion, garlic and herbs mixture to get the consistency that I wanted (using a food processor will result in a very fine paste).

2. Pat dry the chicken with paper towels before you marinate with chermoula paste. Wear a glove if you do not want your hands to be stained by the yellow spice.

3. If you use chermoula on fish, just rub the paste over the fish before cooking (no need to marinate for an hour).

Keyword chicken

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Sharing is caring!