Easy Moroccan Chicken Skewers with Crazy Good Green Sauce
Wow! The flavors of lemon, garlic and ginger in these Moroccan chicken skewers are amazing! And that pretty green sauce? Well, it might be my favorite part of the whole recipe: bright, fresh, YUMMY!
My life would be totally complete if I could convince everyone of two things: 1) conquer homemade bread once and for all (you’ll feel like a total rock star) and 2) stop letting other people do the grilling for you.
Are you a grilling delegator? Someone that avoids any and all recipes that have “grilled” in the recipe title? Afraid or fearful of the grill?
Hey, that’s ok! I get it. I spent years refusing to grill anything because I was sure I’d mess it up or the grill would explode or one of the toddlers hanging around my feet would get injured from my attempts to throw sizzling meat on a piping hot flame-controlled apparatus. Once I realized we were never going to eat grilled anything (due to Brian’s work schedule) and harboring a great love of grilled everything, I was like “listen, I’ve got to take matters into my own hands.”
The next couple weeks found me super embarrassed that I’d been avoiding something that actually turned out to be super easy. I used to think grilled dinners meant a ton of time and effort, but now I realize grilling is one of the easiest (and healthiest) things I can do to get food on the table! We grill all year long.
Are you a griller or do you leave it to someone else?
I don’t endorse any particular brand or type of grill; there are SO many options out there. But I do feel like grilling got a lot more fun and just a bit easier when I got a pellet grill several years ago (I have both a CampChef and a Traeger and I love them both – maybe one of these days I’ll do an unsponsored, objective side-by-side comparison about the pros and cons of each).
Where am I going with this
All this grilling talk is a lead up to say that when I post a delicious grilling recipe, like these Moroccan chicken skewers for example, I want everyone to be able to feel confident that they can make this for dinner (like, tonight) without any angst or stress or passive aggressive delegation.
I’m not sure I’ve ever had a chicken skewer kebab-thingie packed with the level of flavor that’s in these Moroccan chicken skewers. They are holy moly level good.
The Marinade
Marinading is everything when it comes to grilling meats, but especially chicken. The citrusy, flavorful marinade for this chicken not only infuses the meat with loads of flavor, but it also ensures the grilled chicken will be juicy and tender. Not tough and leathery. Of course, not overcooking the chicken helps with that, too.
You might wonder if you can sub something else for the coriander or turmeric (I’m guessing those might be the two spices that not everyone keeps around). I always encourage a little experimenting here and there in the kitchen. You know, keep things exciting! Subbing in or out spices will change the flavor profile of this recipe, so just be aware of that if you want to use another spice.
Both turmeric and coriander are easy to find in most grocery stores. Plus, they add flavor you just can’t get with other spices, so I encourage you to get your hands on them if you can! I have a ton of other recipes that use coriander so I think it’s worth adding to your cart. And here are a couple recipes that call for turmeric (tons of others online).
Just over here doing what I do best…helping you justify a purchase. 🙂
The Sauce
I can’t sign off before I tell you that while the chicken is so tender and so flavorful and so yummy, the crazy good green sauce in this recipe might be the reason to make it. Reminiscent of a chimichurri sauce just with a different flavor profile, it literally takes about one minute to make.
Fresh herbs are blended up with lemon juice, a little oil, and chopped jalapeno (if you dare…and you should!), and the fresh blast of flavor that hits you right in the taste buds is an eye-closing, food-hoarding, life-changing experience.
I can see my summer future now. Growing a whole garden box full of cilantro and mint so I can make this green sauce with abandon and put it on everything I can think of.
What to Serve With This
- Roasted potatoes, rice or cauliflower rice
- Fresh fruit (like pineapple or melon or whatever else is seasonal)
- Drop biscuits
One Year Ago: Roasted Sweet Potato Lentil Salad
Two Years Ago: Caramel Snickers Cheesecake Bars
Three Years Ago: Delicious No-Bake Cookie Dough Bites
Four Years Ago: Foil Packet Sweet Potato Tacos
Five Years Ago: Easy Brazilian Cheese Bread {Pao de Queijo}
Moroccan Chicken Skewers with Crazy Good Green Sauce
Ingredients
Chicken:
- Zest of 1 lemon, 1-2 teaspoons
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice, from about 2-3 lemons
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger or ginger paste (see note)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1 /2 to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
Green Sauce:
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, lightly packed to measure
- ½ cup fresh mint
- ¼ cup chopped green onions or chives
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Zest of 1 lemon, 1-2 teaspoons
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Pinch of coarse, kosher salt
- ½ jalapeno, seeded and coarsely chopped (leave seeds in for more heat)
Instructions
- For the chicken, in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, salt, coriander, and pepper. Place the chicken pieces in a shallow dish (preferably with a lid), pour the marinade over and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours (if marinading longer than that, the lemon juice might “cook” and toughen the meat).
- For the sauce, in a blender or food processor add all the ingredients and puree until desired consistency. Season to taste with additional salt, if needed.
- Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush grill grates with oil (I don’t usually do this on my pellet grill, but I recommend doing so if chicken is prone to sticking on your grill). Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto wooden or metal skewers.
- Grill for 6-8 minutes, turning once or twice, until cooked through. Serve the chicken skewers with the sauce.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: inspired from Cuisine at Home Magazine (recipe using preserved lemon)
We make this all the time, family and guests love it. If I’m in a hurry I use chicken breasts or tenders and shorten the marinating and it’s still wonderful. Thanks for a great recipe!
Made this last night for dinner and everyone loved it! This is HUGE. Instead of skewering the chicken and grilling it (ran out of time), I dumped all the chicken into a skillet and sautéed it till done. I’m sure grilling will be amazing when I try it next time. Sauteeing worked great because it cooked off some liquid that we added to rice with the chicken to create a little sauce. And then the green sauce on top. So yummy and easy!
Yum, yum! The chicken is fine- it is simply a vessel for that green sauce! So fresh and delicious! I made half a batch, since I knew no one else in my family would try it. I ate every drop! I’ve got to make it again and see what else I can eat it on!
Delicious! Another winner. And it was so fresh tasting!
What kind of mint do you recommend? We tried lime mint and thought it tasted like soap.
I’ve always just used what I consider *regular* mint – the kind I find in the herb section of my grocery store.
Love this! I just use chicken tenderloins and leave them whole. I’m much too lazy for skewers! That green sauce is amazing! I make this with coconut jasmine rice. The flavors go well together. Thanks for another winner, Mel!
Do you think I could freeze this sauce, Mel? Just broke my knee so I’m hoping I can make a batch of this sauce once and use it for the next 6 weeks while I’m unable to walk
Yes! (Good luck with your recovery!)
My husband took one bite and said “This must be a Mel’s Kitchen Cafe recipe, right?”. Whenever he likes a meal, that’s what he asks me at dinnertime. The sauce is amazing! Even my picky 1 and 2 year olds devoured the chicken with their green dip! Thank you for sharing another delicious meal with us!
I made this recipe for the second time tonight, and it was a big hit. I served it with a green gazpacho. which made a great summertime meal for entertaining a couple guests at a social distance in the back yard.
I made a couple changes that I recommend:
1: Chicken thighs instead of breasts. Breasts are too lean and wind up dry when grilled. Thighs come out juicier.
2: Make a double batch of the green sauce. In the unlikely event there’s any left, you’ll find yourself putting it on any meat you cook over the next few days. It’s amazing. I also tossed 1/8 tsp xanthan gum in there to stabilize it so I could put it in a sauce bottle.
The chicken was completely overpowered by the lemon and this is coming from someone who appreciates strong flavors. We used 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken. If I tried this again, I would half the amount of lemon juice in the marinade to see if that brought out the tastes of the other spices. The green sauce is acidic as well, but tastes fresh.
Mel’s recipes never disappoint! This is one of my favorites. The green sauce is so yummy. I love to make it go a little farther by adding avocado or plain greek yogurt to the mix.
FABULOUS!
A new favorite. Even the teenagers loved it and everyone wanted more of the sauce!
I made this recipe exactly as it was written, with the exception that I used an entire jalapeno pepper in my green sauce instead of half. Rest assured, it wasn’t “Blow-your-head-off-hot!” It was delicious!! Mel, your recipes never steer me wrong.
Thanking you from Western Canada!
Even though this was not something I’d typically make, I am SO glad I tried it! The marinade was so flavorful, and the green sauce was so fresh and different. I will definitely make this again!
Thanks, Anne!
Hi Mel, I made this dish for the first time yesterday to take to a church (ward) chicken cook-off and won 2nd place! I got so many compliments so I wanted to give credit where credit is due! I altered it slightly because I didn’t take time to thread them onto skewers, but just grilled the cubes and served them in a casserole dish. The chicken was good but the crazy good green sauce is the star of the show! Thanks for another great recipe!
Oh my gosh, that’s so amazing! Congratulations!
I’ve wanted to try this recipe since I first saw it. I served it last night. The chicken with rice, the sauce and pita…delicious!
Yay! So happy to hear it was worth the wait, Loni!
The chicken skewers are good. We enjoyed them, but nothing to call home about. The GREEN SAUCE, however, I immediately called my sister after dinner to tell her to make it now! It was amazing! The sauce was beyond good and left my husband and I trying to think of every imaginable thing to eat it with. Delicious with strawberries and cantaloupe! Delicious on salad. Delicious as a dip for fresh veggies. I’d put this on sandwiches, wraps, fries… I thought it was best on fresh, uncooked foods where the sauce could really take center stage, but oh so good with everything we tried. Definitely making this over and over all summer!
Thanks, Emy!
I am totally the griller in our house, and looked forward to grilling up this chicken. I made the marinade, opened the package of chicken, and realized it didn’t smell so great. Had a package of firm tofu from Trader Joe’s in the fridge, so I sliced it into 5 thick pieces, dried them between paper towels, and marinated for a few hours. They grilled up beautifully, and were delicious with the ADDICTIVE green sauce. I served with roast potatoes and your popcorn cauliflower and it was delicious! Thanks for an amazing recipe, I can’t wait to make it again with chicken!
Amazing – thanks, Lauren!
So good! I was too lazy to do skewers so just marinated some smaller chicken breast pieces and grilled them. Really yummy – everybody (all ages) loved it!
Camp Chef or Traeger?
I have both and love both equally (I think the Camp Chef is slightly easier to clean).
This is my new favorite thing. Thank you! First we had it with rice, and another time with a big salad. I’ll be making this all summer.
I’m so happy to hear that, Emily! The flavors are so amazing, huh?
Count me in as another fan of the marinade and sauce! I used chicken thighs cut in half to minimize the work. I served with roasted carrots, which were so good with the sauce. I’m the griller in my family — there is a little learning curve, but it opens a world of cooking options especially in the hot weather. I use a gas grill.
Thanks for the feedback, Susan – I bet this was delicious with the carrots! And I agree, when I finally took over the grilling, it was revolutionary for dinner options!
I REALLY enjoyed the green sauce! The marinade was pretty lemon-y, for me. It overpowered the other spices, and I only used 1 1/2 lemons.. just thought I’d put my tastes out there 🙂
Thanks, Erin!
This chicken is super yummy! We loved the combination of spices and the lemon. I’m not quite sold on the sauce, the mint was sort of overpowering to me (I’m not a big fan of mint), but I’m going to make it again with some adjustments because my kids liked it. Thanks for a fun new recipe!
Thanks for the review, Jessi!
Forgot the stars in my last comment, so adding another! Also, I agree with the previous poster that the sauce was better having made it a few hours in advance for the flavors to meld. YUM.
WELL DONE MEL! These types of flavors are my favorite–and the kebabs and sauce were easy and delicious! Will definitely make again, and would for sure double it and serve it to guests as well. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Susan!
We made this last week along with your focaccia recipe (delish!!) and I received two thumbs up from my crew! I think my favorite part is that when days are hectic I can still whip up a flavorful marinated chicken dish that doesn’t require several hours. I’ll admit that I wasn’t a fan of the green sauce when I first tasted it, but it was a complete game changer after it sat in the fridge for a couple hours and was paired with the chicken. The flavor was so fresh and complimented the chicken perfectly. We liked the chicken so much that I made it again the following night to served on top of Cobb salad. 🙂 Definitely a keeper for our family! Thank you!
Thanks for letting me know what you thought of this recipe, Tiffany!
Absolutely wonderful. Full of flavor and even tastes great leftover. I’m not a griller, so I quick cooked the chicken pieces on the stove top with the marinade and it made a nice saucy chicken that we served over roasted broccoli. Really flavorful and all 3 of my kids liked it. Sauce pairs perfectly with the chicken.
Thanks for the review, Stephanie!
This is a delicious recipe. The sauce complements the chicken wonderfully.
Thanks, Joanne!
This is almost like trader Joe’s zhoug sauce ! I’ve put it on chicken, veggies, eggs, dipped crackers in it, put it in my salad…the sauce is soooo good. I’m going to try your version this week !
I was surprised at how mild the chicken was. I expected it to be a powerful punch but it was not. Lovely meal. Good with or without the sauce. I just grilled them as chicken breasts that I filleted in half. Maybe not as fun to eat, but less labor intensive.
Thanks for the info and details, Beth! 🙂
When canning something a few years back we had a shopping mix up and ended up with 3 things of turmeric. Maybe now I can finally get it used.
Mel, can the green sauce be made ahead and refrigerated without discoloration or other issues?
A tip on spices. If you aren’t sure you’ll use something again, buy it in bulk from an organic market. You can buy small quantities, and the prices are so cheap – often only 25 cents or so for a few tablespoons. I love buying bulk spices!
Great tip, Laura!
Helpful hint to try: use boneless, skinless thighs instead of breast. Not only do they taste better, they can handle the lemon juice without getting too tough.
Make sure you grow that mint in a contained area. It loves to take over every inch of whatever ground it is planted in. A raised flower bed works for me, but I know it can be very invasive.
Yes! I learned that lesson the hard way last year!
Oh that looks great, especially the green sauce! Can’t wait to try it. I was introduced to a green mojo sauce from a friend who is from the Canary Islands and it was so good I wanted to drink it! They traditionally serve it on potatoes. Sounds similar to your sauce minus the mint and add garlic and cumin and a few other things. Divine! And your post brings back good memories from our trip to Guinea, West Africa last August to see our Peace Corps son. We stopped and had two days in Morocco and the food was so so good! Thanks for sharing Mel!
I would love to visit Morocco and taste authentic food there (and about a million other places!). Sounds amazing!
I would LOVE a side by side comparison of the two grills. We have been looking at both and trying to decide if the cost difference makes the one the better option or if the price really is worth it.
Yes! I’ll get a post together (hopefully sooner rather than later)
These skewers sound amazing! Unfortunately, I live in an apartment complex, and by order of the fire marshal tenants are not allowed to have grills in their units. Doesn’t matter the style of grill; they simply are not permitted. The complex *does* have a number of outdoor grill areas, but they are not particularly convenient or practical for weeknight cooking, being set well away from any of the buildings. The grills themselves are the charcoal box variety found in public parks (open metal box on a pole, wide grating, no lid), and they are all out in the open, with minimal seating and no provided prep area.
Any suggestions for how the grill-impaired like me can enjoy preparing grilling recipes?
You might try a stove top grill like I’ve seen on cooking shows of one of those indoor electric grills think George Foreman, although there are lots of others.
Hi Anki – I hear you! Not everyone has access to a grill; I totally understand! Like Alice suggested, an indoor electric type press/grill would work but if you don’t have one of those, I’d probably marinate the chicken in strips and then broil in the oven on a foil lined sheet (probably would need to oil or grease it pretty well)
I cannot grow cilantro for the life of me. It always goes to seed. Even when I pinch off the flowers, it never develops the leaves. Any secrets?
I just purged my spices and got rid of my turmeric because I have never used it.
I am sad that this one can’t sit in the lemon juice. Was going to freeze it. Maybe I will practice and see how it goes. Maybe I could just put a baggie of lemon juice to add after it thaws. I will make it work!! Can’t wait to try it!
Well, technically I kept the marinade at two hours so no one gets mad at me if the texture of their chicken gets weird, but I’ll be honest and let you know I’ve used lemon juice-based marinades a lot of times and left the chicken in overnight. Sometimes I’ll add 1/2 cup buttermilk to lessen the power of the lemon juice on the chicken directly, but the longer marinading time has mostly worked just fine (haven’t tried freezing in the marinade though). About cilantro, I haven’t had the best luck either. I planted some again this year and am crossing my fingers it does better, but unfortunately I have no good advice.
I froze mine and it marinated as halved chicken breasts for a good long while. Tasted great. I realized that many of my marinades have lemon juice so I stopped stressing about it. Lol. I marinated a huge amount to feed all the kids and their boyfriends who are home from college. Then, one kid went to her boyfriend’s house. The other went out to dinner with the boyfriend’s family and the other was at an amusement park with the band all day. My husband and I took naps and ate this together…..alone. Was really, really weird but in a nice way.
I put some green sauce on my baked potato and it was yummy with that too!
Cilantro is s cool-weather herb and goes to seed if it gets too hot. It will also self-sow if you leave the seeds on the plant at the end of the season and just let it do it’s thing naturally. Mine likes soil with compost and grows very well. I harvest what I want of it, then let it go to seed at the end of the season, then it comes back the next spring without any effort from me. You could also collect the seed, rake out the area you want it to grow and sprinkle the seeds heavily there. Hope this helps!
Thanks, Nancy!
I did not know it was a cook weather herb. Here in Indiana we have snow and 100 degree heat and not much in between. Maybe I will plant some somewhere that it can just do it’s thing. My brother told me last night his lovely cilantro self seeded too.
This looks really good! We have a rainy week in the forecast but it will be on my menu as soon as it dries out! One thing though, I am one of those lucky people for whom cilantro tastes like soap. Would you recommend subbing something else in for the sauce or just skipping over it?
I wouldn’t leave it out completely…try flat leaf parsley instead.
This sounds easy and amazing!
My Hubbie however has a mint
Aversion. Recommended alternative
Here?
I would probably sub in parsley or leave it out.
So very excited about this recipe!
This looks so good! I really want to try the sauce with jalapeño but worry about my kids’ (and my) very mild-preferring palettes…if I put 1/4 of one in do you think the sauce would be considered mild in spiciness? Thank you!!
Hey Aubrey, if you take out all the seeds and the white membrane, I think 1/4 of a jalapeño would be ok (it’s ultimately hard to know because each jalapeño can differ in spiciness). Just to be safe, maybe start with half that and taste it and add more if it is ok. The flavor really is awesome!