Whenever I am out grocery shopping I can’t help but check out a foreign food aisle or a world food aisle, whatever it’s called at your local store. I always come out with something interesting. One of the latest discoveries was Moroccan spice…twice. Apparently, I forgot I found it fascinating the first time, and bought it all over again. There I was with two jars of Moroccan spice and no idea how to use it. My ignorance aside, I knew I had to do something before Brad would bring up the fact we are running out of kitchen cabinet space and I need to stick to my shopping list.
With that thought in mind, I poured a handful of the vibrant concoction into the mortar and started bashing it until I had a fragrant, nostril tickling powder. An idea of what this dinner should be was beginning to develop.
Next I grabbed some Greek yogurt, mixed it with the spice blend and smothered it all over the chicken. While it was marinating I tackled my veggies.Can we quickly discuss asparagus right now? Am I the last person to discover how great roasted asparagus is?! I kept seeing the recipes for it all over the web but couldn’t believe the taste would alter too much from a regular steamed asparagus. While cooking our Easter dinner a week ago I noticed all the burners were taken so I threw asparagus in the roasting pan with some garlic, lemon zest and an olive oil drizzle. Who could’ve known that such simple ingredients can create such beauty! I will never go back to my steamed asparagus. Never.
So that’s what I’ve done here as well. I also added some red and yellow peppers, shallots, garlic and zucchini. The smell that was coming out of the oven was absolutely mouthwatering, thus making waiting till dinner time pretty painful! I was pretty sure I could make a dinner out of just veggies but throw some couscous into the mix and you’ve got yourself a pretty delicious meal!
If you are a vegetarian stop right here and enjoy…
If you are however, a meat loving carnivore, read on. I had that chicken marinating for a couple of hours, so it would’ve been a crime not to grill it, which I did. Ta-da!
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 2 tbsp Moroccan spice
- 125ml/1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 3-4 chicken breasts
For the roasted vegetables
- 400g/14 oz asparagus
- 1/2 red bell pepper sliced
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper sliced
- 1 shallot quartered lengthways
- 1 zucchini sliced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 zest of one lemon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt
For the Spicy Moroccan sauce
- 2 tbsp of reserved marinade
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 cloves roasted garlic
- 3 tbsp water
For the couscous
- 150g/1 cup couscous
- 500ml/2 cups chicken stock
- chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Mix Moroccan spice ( grind it first in a spice grinder if it contains whole spices) with Greek yogurt, reserve 2 tbsp of the mixture and set aside. Smother chicken with prepared marinade, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Place thickly sliced vegetables and 2 cloves of garlic not-peeled in a big roasting pan, don't overcrowd or the vegetables will steam. Sprinkle with lemon zest, salt, 1 remaining clove of crushed garlic, 1 tbsp of olive oil and roast for 30 minutes.
- Take the chicken out of the marinade and grill on a barbecue or a griddle for 8-10 minutes on one side and 5 minutes on the other, reduce or increase time depending on the thickness.
- Put couscous in a medium bowl, bring chicken stock to a boil and pour over couscous, cover and let it absorb the liquid for 8-10 minutes, then fluff it with a fork.
- When the vegetables are done remove them from the oven, cover and keep warm.
- Peel the roasted garlic and put it in a food processor with the reserved marinade, mayonnaise and water, blend until smooth, add more water if needed to a desired consistency.
- Place sliced chicken breast on top of couscous along with roasted vegetables and serve with additional sauce and chopped cilantro.
yrasema lujan says
i am wanting to make this recipe Roasted Vegetables and Couscous Bowl with Moroccan Spiced Chicken my question where can i find the moroccan spices thank you
vikalinka says
I am not sure where you are located, Yrasema, I live in the UK and it’s available in all major supermarkets. I bought mine at Marks and Spencer.
yrasema lujan says
i live in USA Chicago thanks
Andrea says
Great recipe, very tasty and easy to do, though next time I think I would butterfly the chicken breast for more regular cooking and to prevent drying out.
Katie says
An interesting looking dish, but nothing close to being authentic Moroccan! If you want traditional Moroccan recipes check out About.com’s Moroccan Food site or “Cooking with Alia” on YouTube. They’ll give you lots more ideas on how to use that fabulous Moroccan spice!
vikalinka says
Katie, I didn’t actually say anywhere it was an authentic Moroccan food. It was a dish invented by me as I the post suggests with the use of Moroccan spice I admitted I knew nothing about. Thank you for your suggestions, I will check them out.
marla says
A stunning dish! This could very well be dinner tonight!!
Liz says
Lovely! I’m making this for my husband and my sister this evening. If you don’t mind me asking, where did you get your dishes?
vikalinka says
Liz, this dish came from Greenwich market in London. It’s not a set, just a single old bowl:-)
Erika says
Um these are pretty much the most gorgeous photos of vegetables ever. And I’ve also been hearing so much about roasted asparagus and find it hard to believe!! But you are making me want to go track it down right this second, particularly because my boyfriend really strongly dislikes asparagus but I want to prove that it’s actually delicious 🙂 Also, too funny about buying the Moroccan spice twice!! My bf did that with garlic salt and I did that with dried basil. Ah well, at least I use a lot of basil 😉
vikalinka says
You are so sweet, thank you for your comment, Erika. Roasted asparagus is really worth trying especially with a bit of garlic and olive oil. Yum!
Indre @ cupcakesnmiracles says
Looks like heavenly dinner for me!
vikalinka says
Thank you, Indre!
laurasmess says
Haha, I’m exactly the same! I love visiting little market stalls or shops that sell spices and other things from different parts of the world. It’s so much fun discovering different types of cuisine! Glad that you put your Moroccan spice to good use in this gorgeous dish! Love the presentation and those roasted vegetables… healthy and delicious x
vikalinka says
I can never stick to just one cuisine, there are so many flavours in the world so why choose one, right!
Tinywhitecottage says
A beautiful meal! Great story about coming home with spices you already had in your cupboard….I relate.
vikalinka says
Thank you! My spice cabinet is bursting at the seams, I really need to cook more…oh wait I am cooking all the time! 🙂
Sammi @Sammi Sunshine says
The colors! Gorgeous! I discovered roasted veggies only a few months ago, and now I have to roast all the vegetables I get haha. 🙂
Sammi
vikalinka says
I know what you mean, Sammi!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Gorgeous dish, I love the roasted veggies and moroccan spiced chicken!
vikalinka says
Thank you, Laura! I love when healthy and delicious come together!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Beautiful and such great flavours. I love discovering new tastes, too and yes, I too have bought the same thing twice 😉
vikalinka says
I am glad to know it’s not just me but rather an occupational hazard. 🙂