• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Andrea Meyers logo

  • About
  • Photography
  • The Farm Project
  • Cooking with Kids
  • Grow Your Own
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Flickr
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Photography
  • The Farm Project
  • Cooking with Kids
  • Grow Your Own
    • Flickr
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Photography
    • The Farm Project
    • Cooking with Kids
    • Grow Your Own
    • Flickr
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Budget Meals

    Moroccan-Style Chicken and Lentils

    Apr 26, 2006 · Modified: Jan 1, 2022 by Andrea · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 9 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Moroccan-Style Chicken and Lentils - Andrea Meyers

    My mouth started watering when I read this recipe in Bon Appétit a couple years ago, and I fixed it for dinner the next day. Because we had no brown lentils on hand, I used a bag of red lentils from the pantry. I had what I initially thought was a flop when the red lentils turned into a mixture with the consistency of watery pureed potatoes. I wasn't too worried since this was not being served to guests, so I just skimmed off the excess water and stirred in some of the dressing. What started as a flop eventually turned into our standard way of fixing the lentils, and this dish has become a permanent fixture in our kitchen. I cut the amount of water for cooking the lentils in half, and they became what we think is amazing comfort food.

    We love the dressing, and I usually double the recipe and pour it over the chicken right in the skillet. I've made a few other changes to the dressing, such as reducing the amount of olive oil and adding the cinnamon. We often pour the dressing over the chicken after it's finished cooking in the skillet and let it sit for a few minutes. I have substituted apple cider vinegar when I had no red wine vinegar in the pantry, and it turned out very nice with a slightly sweet twist.

    You can have this ready in under an hour if you work on the chicken while the lentils are cooking.

    Moroccan-Style Chicken and Lentils - Andrea Meyers
    Print Pin

    Moroccan-Style Chicken and Lentils

    Adapted from Bon Appétit, January 2004.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Total Time50 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Moroccan
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Keyword: chicken, gluten free, lentils
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 634kcal

    Equipment

    • 3 quart pot
    • 12 inch nonstick skillet
    • sharp knife

    Ingredients

    Dressing

    • ½ cup olive oil
    • ½ cup red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
    • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
    • 2 tablespoons chili powder
    • 2 garlic cloves (minced)
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Lentils

    • 4 cups water
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 pound red lentils (rinsed, drained)

    Chicken

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 large onion (chopped)
    • 1½ pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves (thinly sliced)
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon cumin
    • 2 teaspoons chili powder
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 cup chopped fresh parsley (garnish)
    US Customary - Metric

    Preparation

    Dressing

    • Add the olive oil, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, garlic, cinnamon, and salt to a blender bottle or jar with a tight lid. Shake until ingredients are well combined. Set aside.

    Lentils

    • Combine water and salt in heavy large saucepan over high heat. Add lentils; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until lentils are tender and have absorbed the water completely, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in 3 or 4 tablespoons of the dressing.

    Chicken

    • Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over high heat. Add onion and sauté until dark brown and soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and sauté 2 minutes. Add salt, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon. Sauté until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.
    • Place a serving of lentils on a plate and cover with sliced chicken and dressing. Garnish with chopped parsley.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 634kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 1375mg | Potassium: 1350mg | Fiber: 25g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1932IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 10mg
    Tried this recipe?Share in the comments!

    More Moroccan Flavors

    Marrakech Tagine Bread - Andrea Meyers
    Marrakech Tagine Bread
    Moroccan Preserved Lemons (Limoun Marakad) - Andrea Meyers
    Moroccan Preserved Lemons (Limoun Marakad)
    Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas and Root Vegetables - Andrea Meyers
    Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas and Root Vegetables
    « Southern Fried Apples
    Roasted Asparagus »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lily says

      July 10, 2009 at 1:53 pm

      I wasn't very impressed with this recipe...I used red wine vinegar and it was still a little too tangy. I tried your method of pouring the dressing over the chicken and letting it sit. The spices didn't seem to meld very well however the leftovers did taste better the next day though.

      Reply
    2. Kelly says

      January 22, 2010 at 8:28 pm

      I made this for dinner tonight and it was fabulous! Unfortunately, I looked in three different stores and couldn't find red lentils. So I used some dark brown ones that have been in my pantry forever. They took a lot longer to cook than the recipe states for the red ones. I also made some couscous to go with this dish because I was afraid that some of our family might turn their noses up at the lentils. The couscous was a nice addition, but 4 out of 5 kids actually ate the lentils: I was shocked! This will definitely be made again. I'm going to have to venture out to Whole Foods and see if I can find the red lentils there. Thanks for a great family friendly recipe!

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        January 22, 2010 at 9:05 pm

        Kelly, I'm so glad your family enjoyed it! If you have any international grocery stores nearby (Hispanic, Asian), you might check there for the red lentils as that's where I always find mine.

        Reply
      • Ray says

        July 19, 2010 at 3:19 pm

        goya makes red lentils and you can usually find that in a regular supermarket

        Reply
    3. Jason says

      August 19, 2010 at 2:52 pm

      I was just randomly searching google for a recipe with chicken and red lentils and stumbled across your blog. I cooked the recipe last night for myself and my wife. It was great! I am definitely going to make it again. I just wanted to thank you for posting it. The only thing I did differently was to add some large pieces of green zucchini before sauteing the chicken (during the last minute or so of sauteing the onions) in order to get another veggie into the meal. It worked great, and I loved the spice level, though I'll probably tone it down just slightly next time for my wife's sake. I might even make just the lentils again they were so good. Thanks again!

      Reply
    4. Dawn Waters says

      April 04, 2011 at 6:53 pm

      I just made this with red quinoa instead of lentils and it was delicious. Easy to make and not anything like what we typically do with chicken. Loved it and will make it again.

      Reply
    5. cooking is fun! says

      May 14, 2011 at 1:51 pm

      hmmm...seems like WAAAAAAY too much oil. not necessary. but good flavour combo and super easy. we added raisins because was a little to bitey as far as vinegar. was a splendid addition. we also served with spinach to add a little green not to mention some much needed vitamins!

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Zen Foodism - A Food Blog Emanating from San Diego » Favorite Foodism of the Week says:
      May 1, 2006 at 2:39 pm

      [...] Moroccan Style Chicken and Lentils from Bon Appetit from Andrea’s Recipe Box [...]

      Reply
    2. Daniel Nolan » Blog Archive » Day 5: Moroccan-Style Chicken and Lentils says:
      May 31, 2006 at 4:44 pm

      [...] Been a little busy the last few days so this ones a bit overdue. Tonights recipe was Moroccan-Style Chicken and Lentils courtesy of Andrea’s Recipe Box. This was an extremely easy recipe to make and had surprising results, for starters, it looked nothing like the picture in the recipe, but then again, when do things! The taste of it was sublime though, I used cider vinegar as we’d run out of red wine and it added a lovely tanginess to the chicken. The dish was actually a lot milder than I was expecting two, with all that chilli powder in it, all I got was a tingle on the tongue, no fiery hotness. This one is definately going on my cookagain list, thankyou Andrea! [...]

      Reply

    Thanks for visiting! Let me know what you think! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Andrea Meyers photo

    Hi, I'm Andrea Meyers: educator, photographer, tea drinker, avid cook, and gardener. I love helping people learn how to do great things.

    More about me →

    Seasonal Favorites

    • Slow Cooker Cuban-Style Black Beans with Rice
    • Baked Boston Brown Bread
    • Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans (Kids Cook Monday)
    • Slow-Cooker Chicken Korma
    • Roasted Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
    • Country Captain Chicken

    Trending

    • Southern Buttermilk Cornbread
    • Dry Beans and Legumes Cooking Chart (From the Pantry)
    • Colombian Hot Chocolate
    • Cincinnati Chili
    web hosting

    Footer

    Return to the top


    About

    • About Andrea
    • Contact
    • Advocacy
    • FAQs
    • As seen in
    • Work with me

    Policies

    • Privacy Policy
    • Nutrition Disclaimer
    • Comment Policy
    • Accessibility
    • Copyright Policy

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

    ALL PHOTOS AND ORIGINAL TEXT COPYRIGHT © 2005-2022 ANDREA MEYERS PRODUCTIONS LLC
    YOU MAY NOT USE ANY PHOTOS OR ORIGINAL TEXT WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION.