Whole Roasted Moroccan Chicken

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Marinated overnight in olive oil and spices, stuffed with green olives, onions, garlic, and preserved lemons for an extra boost of flavor, and roasted to a crisp and juicy perfection, this Whole Roasted Moroccan Chicken might just be the best roasted chicken ever!

This recipe was originally published in December 2018. It has been updated for content and photos. 

And I'm serious about that guys....best roasted chicken ever (well, except for this gochujang chicken we made recently). And simple. Simple as in easy to make, but also simple, amazing flavors.

Salty preserved lemons, brined green olives, paprika, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, oh my! So many amazing flavors are going on here.

And you can't forget that skin...that deliciously fatty but crispy chicken skin that is the start of many a family feud. The boyfriend and I often eye each others plate to make sure no one has more skin.

We do this when I make this air fryer whole chicken, Dutch oven roasted chicken or this Whole Roasted Indian Chicken too.

Truth be told, I always get more skin. He just doesn't know what I eat while I'm photographing...

The Ingredients

Use a 4-6 lbs. whole chicken for this Moroccan chicken recipe. If you use a smaller chicken, you will need to adjust the roast time down, and vice versa. Rule of thumb is 15 minutes per pound, but that's not always totally accurate (use a Thermapen to get super accurate results every time).

If you've never had preserved lemons, you totally need them in your life (learn how to make Preserved Lemons). The flavor they add is like none other. And they are super easy to make at home, though it takes some time for them to preserve. If you don't have time, you can also buy them HERE (affiliate link).

So you can either make your own and store them, or you can buy them on Amazon if you're ready to make this now (preserved lemons take about 30 days to properly preserve - just note it for the future).

Green Vs. Black Olives

The difference between green and black olives is just the time in which they are harvested. Green olives are picked before they are ripe, while black olives ripen on the tree and are then picked.

Because green olives are bitter, they must be cured before they are used. They also must be soaked in a lye solution before they can be brined.

I use green olives for this recipe.

What is Ras El Hanout?

Ras El Hanout is a a Moroccan/Tunisian spice blend that typically contains ground spices such as cumin, coriander, cardamom, allspice, ginger, pepper, among others (affiliate link). The mixture varies among different families and producers of the spice. It has a wonderfully warm, savory flavor that is incredible rubbed on pork, chicken and fish. It's also great used in soups, rice, and pasta.

You may be able to find it in your local grocery store, or just click on the above link to buy it on Amazon (affiliate link).

What is Paprika?

Paprika is a spice that is made from ground peppers. There are many different kinds ranging from mild to spicy to smoked. Honestly, any kind of paprika will work wonderful in the recipe. I typically use a Spanish Paprika (affiliate link).

Learn more about paprika.

The remaining ingredients are listed their entirety in the recipe card.

Step by Step Instructions

First, pat your chicken dry, remove any innards, and place it on a roasting rack or directly in a roasting pan.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, paprika, cinnamon, ginger, ras el hanout and salt.

Rub this mixture all over the chicken, massaging it into the skin. Make sure to coat all sides.

Stuff the cavity with the mixture of onions, smashed garlic, olives and preserved lemons. Let it sit in the fridge overnight, uncovered to marinade.

Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it come to room temperature (let it sit for about 30 minutes). In the meantime, preheat the oven to 450F degrees.

Truss the chicken to keep the legs from drying out. I like to drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil on the chicken before placing it in the oven.

Place the small potatoes in the bottom of the roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Cover the chicken loosely with foil.

**Halfway through the roasting process, add the cherry/grape tomatoes to the roasting pan and drizzle with additional olive oil (if necessary) and 1-2 tsp. salt (to taste).

Place the chicken in the oven and turn the heat down to 400F degrees.

Roast the chicken for 90 minutes. Remove the foil and baste the chicken with it's own juices halfway through. Continue roasting uncovered to allow the skin to brown and crisp.

But here is where you need to use a thermometer. The internal temperature of the chicken should read 160F degrees when removing it from the oven. It will continue to increase after you remove it from the oven, so don't worry if it's not at the recommended 165F degrees before removing it.

Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes. This part is key for the internal temperature to come to 165 degrees, plus, it allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in the most delicious juicy chicken.

We are also HUGE fans of this sous vide whole chicken if you're looking for more whole chicken recipes (it's the best!). 

What To Serve with Moroccan Chicken

• Couscous Salad - this is the ultimate couscous salad here and I highly recommend making it. It's one of our favorites!
• Start with a salad like this Cucumber Tomato Salad or these sous vide chicken wings (they have peri peri sauce!);
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes - the sweetness from the sweet potatoes goes great with the bold flavors of the chicken;
• Try it with this simple Braised Broccolini with garlic and lemon;
• No meal is complete without bread, am I right? Try this Chapati Recipe (East African style bread).

Expert Tips

1. Use only the skins of the preserved lemons, discard any pulp, or use it in cocktails, puree it in dips for extra tanginess, or saute it with veggies (you could use it in this Broccolini).
2. Leaving the chicken uncovered while it sits in the fridge allows the skin to dry, which is what gives us that perfectly crispy skin when roasting.
3. Chicken is safe to eat at 165 degrees. I typically cook the chicken to 160 degrees and remove from the heat. The temperature will continue to rise to 165 degrees. Use an instant read thermometer like this Thermapen to check the temperature (affiliate link).
4. If the skin of the chicken starts to brown too much, cover it loosely in aluminum foil while it roasts. Remove the foil at the end to crisp it up.

What Temperature Should a Whole Chicken Be Cooked To?

A chicken is safe to eat at 165 degrees. I typically cook the chicken to 160 degrees and remove from the heat. The temperature will continue to rise to 165 degrees. Check it before eating. (I use the Thermapen to check temperatures - see below for further details).

How To Make the Perfect Roasted Chicken?

Seriously guys, just follow this recipe. Trussing the chicken and roasting it at a high temperature will result in tender, juicy chicken and that amazingly crisp and delicious skin. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, place your Moroccan chicken in and turn down the heat to 400. This ensures that the oven stays nice and hot while roasting.

Tools used

- Thermapen MK4: The Thermapen is an instant read thermometer that has been a dream! It is totally accurate and gives you an incredibly fast reading so you're not wondering what the real temperature is. It's not a cheap tool, but it's a lifesaver for someone like me who consistently under-cooks chicken....

- Roasting pan: I love this large roasting pan with handles. It's fits a pretty large bird (or ham, or lasgana, etc) and it easy to handle.

- Roasting rack: I like to use a roasting rack so the bottom of the chicken doesn't get soggy.

- Twine: I use this twine to truss the chicken so the legs don't dry out.

Try These Other Favorite Chicken Recipes

Whether you want a whole roasted chicken, or just some thighs (we don't really do breasts around here guys), here are some of the most popular chicken recipes on the site:

• Vietnamese Chicken;
• Instant Pot Chicken Paprika;
• Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken;
• Chicken Etouffee;
• White Wine Braised Chicken;
• Check out all the Chicken Recipes.

Did you make this whole roasted Moroccan Chicken? Rate the recipe and leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out!