Moroccan Spiced Chicken and Barley
Chicken and barley is a hearty, healthy meal with Moroccan flair! Make this North African recipe for spice-rubbed chicken in just one pan!
Aromatic and flavorful, Moroccan spice blends are the secret to making their cuisine so memorable. Rich, warm spices like cinnamon and cumin compliment cooler flavors of herbs like mint and parsley.
When the contrasting flavors marry in a dry rub, the otherwise ordinary flavors of chicken and barley become a fantastic, flavorful feast!
This Moroccan spiced chicken recipe is one I found in an old magazine tear out. The ingredients have been adapted over time to suit my tastes, but I believe it to be from either Sunset or Cooking Light, circa 1990s.
TWO COOKING METHODS
There are two variations of this recipe. You can opt for a one-pan method to make on the stove top, or bake it in the oven, in a casserole form. Instructions for both versions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Ingredients in Moroccan Spiced Chicken and Barley
- Boneless, skinless chicken– I use chicken thighs in this dish. Although it’s a bit higher in fat and calories, dark meat is richer in flavor and texture than breast meat. Of course, either will work.
- Barley– This cereal grain has been around for over 10,000 years. It’s full of nutrients and has a wonderful chewy texture. Plus, it’s rich in fiber, which can help you feel full for longer than lighter grains like rice.
The most important thing to know is that barley comes in two forms: hulled and pearl. Hulled barley (also known as groats) has a light, golden brown hue. Only the tough, inedible outermost hull is removed, but the bran and endosperm layers are left intact.
For this reason, it is the most nutritious of the two, and is considered a whole grain. The flavor is nuttier and the texture is chewier than pearl barley. Most people are familiar with pearl barley, especially as an ingredient in dishes like Pomegranate Barley Salad, beef barley soup or Mediterranean barley salad. It’s still chewy and nutritious, but less so than hulled barley because the outer husk and bran layers have been removed.
The type of barley you’ll need for this recipe depends on what cooking method you use. One cup of hulled barley yields three cups cooked. Hulled barley can take 20 to 25 minutes longer to cook than pearl and will absorb less liquid.
For the stove top method, you’re better off using pearl barley, and for the oven baked version, I suggest using hulled. - Seasonings– Combine the chicken and barley with a few warm Moroccan-inspired spices like cinnamon, cumin and cayenne, and the meal is sure to be memorable! To add brightness to the dish, we add a bit of garlic powder and dried mint
- Vegetables– A bit of white or yellow onion, sweet green or red bell pepper, and a can of diced tomatoes add some additional richness to this dish. To add a little crunch factor, sliced green onion (scallion) is sprinkled over the dish before serving
Video: How to Make Chicken and Barley
This recipe is very easy to make, but if you’d like to watch me make it step by step, check out the video in the recipe card below!
Stove Top Instructions
- Rub the chicken with the Moroccan spice blend.
Use a small whisk or your clean hands to combine the spices together in a bowl. Then, press half of the spice mixture evenly onto both sides of the chicken thighs.
- Brown the chicken thighs.
Brown the pieces in hot oil, for a couple of minutes on each side. Because the pieces are skinless, you won’t form a deep sear on them, but they’ll brown and become a bit crispy.
After browning the chicken, set it aside on a plate temporarily.
- Sauté the vegetables.
You can cook the onion and bell pepper in the same pan you cooked the chicken in. If the pan seems dry, you can add a splash of oil first. You’ll add the soy sauce at this point as well.
- Add the stock, barley, and tomatoes first, then add the chicken.
Stir the liquids and barley to combine them, then nestle the Moroccan spiced chicken thighs into the mixture. - Cover and simmer until chicken and barley is cooked through.
It will take about 50 minutes for everything to cook completely. Be sure to use an instant read thermometer to be sure that the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165° F.
To Make Chicken and Barley Casserole in the Oven
All of the instructions are the same, up to the point where you simmer the dish.
Rather than cooking it in a pan, you’ll add the chicken thighs to a 2-quart casserole dish. Then, carefully pour the barley and vegetable mixture over the chicken in the casserole dish.
Cover with a lid or sheet of aluminum foil and bake for 65 minutes.
Then uncover the baking dish and fluff the barley with fork. If there is still liquid present, cover and cook for about 5 more minutes.
Lastly, uncover the casserole dish again and let the chicken and barley sit for 15 minutes to completely absorb all the liquids.
Serving Suggestions
Just before serving, garnish the dish with green onions and serve with some khubz or flatbread like lavash and a chopped veggie salad or some fresh fruit salad.
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Moroccan Chicken and Barley + Video
Ingredients
Spice Rub
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp dried mint flakes
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cayenne powder
Assembly
- 2 lbs chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- 4 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1¼ cups barley uncooked (See Note 1)
- 14 oz diced tomatoes drained
- 6 green onions chopped
Instructions
- Combine the spice rub ingredients in a small bowl and rub the chicken thighs on both sides with half of the spice mixture.
For the Stove Top One Pan Method
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat and cook the chicken until browned on each side. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onion, bell pepper and add the soy sauce. Cook over medium heat for several minutes until onions are translucent.
- Deglaze pan by adding the broth, scraping the browned bits from bottom of pan. Stir in pearled barley, tomatoes and remaining spice mixture. Place the browned chicken thighs in between the vegetable mixture evenly. Bring this to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 50 minutes.
- Uncover and let stand 15 minutes to completely absorb all liquids. Sprinkle with the green onions and serve.
For the Baked Casserole Method
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat and cook the chicken until browned on each side. Remove from pan and place in a 13×9″ casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onion, bell pepper and add the soy sauce. Cook over medium heat for several minutes until onions are translucent.
- Deglaze pan by adding the broth, scraping the browned bits from bottom of pan. Stir in pearled barley, tomatoes and remaining spice mixture. Bring this to a boil. Carefully pour barley and vegetable mixture over chicken in casserole dish. Cover with lid or aluminum foil and bake for 65 minutes. Uncover and let stand 15 minutes to completely absorb all liquids. Sprinkle with the green onions and serve.
Video
Notes
- There are 2 different kinds of barley: hulled and pearl. Hulled barley has had the tough, inedible outermost hull removed but still retains its bran and endosperm layer. It is the most nutritious of the two and can be considered a whole grain. A light golden brown in color, it’s the nuttier and chewier version as well.
Pearl barley has been polished to remove the bran and possibly even the endosperm layers, resulting in a pale, creamy-colored grain. It is less chewy and cooks faster than the hulled variety, but has less fiber, is less nutritious, and is not considered a whole grain. Most people are familiar with pearl barley, especially as an ingredient in beef-barley soup. One cup of hulled barley will yield three cups cooked. Hulled barley can take 20 to 25 minutes longer to cook than pearl and will absorb less liquid. Source: Dana Velden, thekitchn.com
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This is so flavorful! I was a bit short on barley so I used 1/2 barley and 1/2 farro, both pearled. This recipe is a keeper!
So glad you enjoyed this one Jeff!
This recipe is really great. Tonight I made it for the first time, and my daughter (who is visiting us) asked after the meal if she could put it away before she ate it all. My only additions to the recipe was to add a half teaspoon of salt, and an eighth of a cup of sliced almonds in the post simmer cool down period. I used hulled barley rather than pearled barley, so I added 20 minutes to the simmer time. This made the chicken thighs a bit more braised than the recipe pictures suggest, but that was all good.
So happy you and the family enjoyed this one Dan! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know.
Kudos to the author for crediting Cooking Light magazine’s recipe printed in the 1990’s. I misplaced my clipping of this recipe and was thrilled to find it here. It’s easy, absolutely delicious, nutritious and so cheap to make! Try it with a drizzle of plain yogurt whisked with a bit of harissa and/or sumac. Thank you for posting 🙂
Thank you for the kind comment! I am so glad you came across this recipe!
I loved this dish. So much flavor and it’s very colorful. I will most definitely make this again.
A couple of things you could do extra to this dish would be adding additional vegetables and maybe a light cream sauce to drizzle on at the end.
Thank you!
Thank you so much Erin! I am so glad you enjoyed it! That is a great idea!
Very very good
Very yum Dave!
will be making this soon with few subs i never had moroccan food before will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
I hope you enjoyed it Ramya!