Baked Moroccan Chicken

Make a weeknight dinner extra-special without any extra work. The preparation for this flavor-packed chicken dish couldn’t be any easier. The Moroccan spices dress the tender chicken to perfection.

The recipe calls for Preserved Meyer Lemon, which you can learn to make here. The flavor of the dish really benefits from the bold, lemony taste of preserved lemon. If you don’t have any, you can use a vegetable peeler to remove strips of lemon peel from a whole lemon, being careful to avoid the white pith underneath.

Total Time: 45 min.
Prep Time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 25 min.
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 (4-oz.) raw chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1 Preserved Meyer Lemon, pulp removed, chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 thin slice fresh ginger, finely chopped
1½ cups frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1 cinnamon stick (or ½ tsp. ground cinnamon)
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
¼ tsp. whole cloves
1 large pinch saffron

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 450° F.
2. Combine chicken, Preserved Lemon, oil, garlic, ginger, artichoke hearts, cinnamon, pepper, cumin, paprika, red pepper, cloves, and saffron in a large bowl; mix well.
3. Arrange chicken mixture in a baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
4. Serve chicken with couscous if desired.

Tip: To use preserved lemon, wash lemon and remove pulp. Thinly slice or chop rind.

Nutritional Information (per serving) not including couscous:
Calories: 206
Total Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 67 mg
Sodium: 822 mg
Carbohydrates: 6 g
Fiber: 3 g
Sugar: 0 g
Protein: 24 g

P90X/P90X2 Portions
1 Protein
1 Condiment
½ Fat

P90X3 Portions
½ Carb
1 Protein
1 Fat

Body Beast Portions
1 Vegetable
2 Proteins
2 Fat

Containers
½ Green
1 Red
1½ tsp.

Photo by Kirsten Morningstar