Start the year off with fresh healthy recipes like this 30-Minute Instant Pot Moroccan Chicken and Quinoa!
If your family is like mine, you are constantly looking for one-pot meals that are healthy. Meals that don’t take a lot of time in the kitchen, but are full of amazing flavor.
Enter my current fave recipe creation: the one-pot, 30-minute Instant Pot Moroccan Chicken meal. You guys, I am OBSESSED with this dish. It’s packed with flavor, and I hope you will love it, too!
One Pot, 30-Minute Meals = Dinner Bliss!
If you follow me on Instagram or are part of my Food, Wine, and Travel Bliss Facebook Group, you know that I treated myself to an 8-quart Instant Pot this Christmas… and I haven’t been able to stop creating Instant Pot recipes ever since!
I LOVE one-pot wonder meals, and the Instant Pot makes it all so fast and simple to feed the family healthy meals.
Healthy Instant Pot Moroccan Chicken
The most delicious recipes start with quality ingredients.
I picked up a package of Foster Farms® Simply Raised Chicken with No Antibiotics Ever at my local Safeway grocery store. For this recipe, I love the chicken thigh fillets that are skinless and boneless, plus 100% natural and vegetarian fed. Bonus points that they are also grown in the Pacific NW and California. Shout out, West Coast chickens!
These thigh fillets have less fat than the skin-on chicken thighs, yet still turn out super tender and juicy. They also do an amazing job of soaking up the Moroccan spice blend in this recipe.
Moroccan Flavors
I use a blend of paprika (which I put in almost everything!), turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper.
The measurements in the recipe make enough to cover a pound and a half of chicken, so feel free to adjust the amount of spices if you use less or more chicken.
Making Moroccan Chicken in an Instant Pot
The seasoned chicken gets a quick sauté on both sides in the Instant Pot.
Then the chicken is set aside while you sauté the garlic, ginger, and onions.
After that, back into the Instant Pot goes the chicken, along with chicken broth, quinoa, chickpeas, and dried cherries.
Side note: I like the flavor of dried cherries in this recipe, but you could also use dates, raisins, or even dried apricot.
Close the lid, make sure the vent is on SEALING, then set the dials to POULTRY and 10 minutes. After the Instant Pot reaches pressure and stops counting down from 10, very carefully turn the knob to VENTING and Quick Release the rest of the time. I use tongs whenever I turn the IP knob; you could use a wooden spoon or super thick oven mitts.
After a few minutes, the Instant Pot pin will go down all the way indicating all pressure has been released, and then you know it’s safe to open the lid. At this point, your beautiful Moroccan chicken dish should be done! For me, this happens around when the display on the Instant Pot says “L0:04.”
You can use a meat thermometer to double check the doneness of the chicken. If it’s at 165 degrees, then your chicken is ready to go!
Healthy Instant Pot Moroccan Chicken Recipe
I LOVE this Instant Pot Moroccan Chicken recipe so much.
The chicken is so flavorful and moist, and the quinoa turns out just as yummy and fluffy. And best of all, it takes just around 30 minutes from start to finish, all in ONE pot. Less to clean up, and more to enjoy!
Healthy 30-Minute Instant Pot Moroccan Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1.5 lbs Foster Farms® Simply Raised chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 1.5 cups chicken broth
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup finely diced onions
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 can chickpeas drained
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- optional: finely chopped cilantro leaves or parsley leaves
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together paprika, turmeric, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Coat chicken with spice rub as evenly as possible on both sides. Set aside on a plate.
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the bottom of the Instant Pot pan.
- Press SAUTE mode on the Instant Pot.
- Add chicken to Instant Pot and cook until slightly brown. Then flip over each piece of chicken and continue cooking until that side is slightly browned. Remove from Instant Pot and set aside on a plate.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the bottom of the pot.
- Add garlic, onions, and ginger. Saute for 2 minutes, stirring slowly.
- Add quinoa, dried cherries, chickpeas, chicken broth, and the browned chicken.
- Close the Instant Pot lid and be sure the knob is in SEALING.
- Press POULTRY (or manual) and set to 10 minutes.
- Instant Pot will bring contents to pressure and the display will say ON during this time. Once the contents have reached pressure, the Instant Pot will beep and start counting down 10 minutes. At the end (when those 10 minutes are up), use tongs to very carefully turn the knob to VENTING in order to Quick Release.
- Once the float valve pin is down, and steam stops being released through the valve (this can take a few minutes; your time may vary), press CANCEL and carefully open the lid.
- Chicken will be done if a thermometer registers 165 degrees F.
- Plate, garnish with optional cilantro or parsley leaves, and serve immediately.
Notes
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, SHARE IT ON INSTAGRAM WITH #URBANBLISSLIFE AND TAG @URBANBLISSLIFE. I’D LOVE TO SEE WHAT YOU MAKE! AND IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE, PLEASE DO ME A HUGE FAVOR AND LEAVE A STAR RATING. THANK YOU, SWEET FRIENDS!
PIN IT:
Do you love healthy one-pot meals? What type of recipes do you like to search for at the beginning of a new year?
This is a post written by me on behalf of Foster Farms®. As always, all opinions, recipes, and photos are my own.
This looks delicious! I love my InstantPot and am always looking for new healthy recipes to use it for.
I’ve been posting a lot, so keep an eye out! Thanks! :)
I have been on the fence about buying an Instant Pot but if I can cook like this call me won over!
I was, too! I’m loving mine now!
I bought the Instant Pot on Amazon Prime Day and couldn’t wait to try a lot of recipes. My partner and I were in Morocco in February so we knew this would be a great thing to cook. I found your recipe via Google. We brought the Ras el Hanout spice(s) back with us so I didn’t use the spices listed here (it can contain up to twenty different spices mixed together!). However, I needed to know the proportions so I used about 3 tsps. I marinated the chicken in the spices with some olive oil and 1 quartered lemon, including all the zest from the one lemon. Authentic Moroccan tagine uses preserved lemons, which we don’t have so we added a tsp of capers to the cooking process. I also added a tsp of turmeric and harissa to add some heat. And substituted raisins.
So after marinating, I followed your sautee instructions and let it cook for 11 minutes (rather than 10.
It came out perfectly! My partner said it was better than half the tagines we ate in Morocco. (We only had about four tagine meals.) He wants it again, every week!
Thanks for a fantastic recipe and I know your spice listing is for people who can use what’s in their cabinet but since we have the real thing, it only gets better. I will be making this again as soon as I can!
Woah, this looks right up my alley! Gahhh, I need to stop reading your posts, otherwise I’m going to be on Amazon in the morning ordering myself an Instant Pot. I already mentioned to my husband tonight about my desire for one, and he said, “Nooooooo! It’s the anti-smoker!” (meaning opposite of low and slow) Haha it’s so true ;)
LOL! I’ll win you over ;)
Oooh…yummy! I will have to try this one:)
Thanks, Holly!
I’m getting more and more tempted each day to get myself and IP, this dish looks delicious! I love the smoky/sweet/spicy flavors of Moroccan food, and this looks like a great hearty winter dinner.
They’re definitely worth it! Thanks, Eva!
Can I double this recipe in my 6 at. Instant pot. Have made this many times but have 8 people to make it for.
Yay for more Instant Pot recipes!!! I’m cooking with mine as we speak and keep contemplating buying 2 I use it so much! This looks so delicious Marlynn – I’m going to have to add it to the list for sure!
It would be super handy to have 2! Thanks so much, Erin!
I love quinoa! I have been looking for some instant pot recipes and what better than this :)
Yay! I’m glad I could help!
I have been looking for a quinoa recipe to make in the slow cooker and this looks so good! The flavors sound delicious! Can’t wait to try it out. :-)
Thanks, Sarah! Let me know if you like it!
Sounds great! Making this tomorrow evening. Do you drain the chick peas?
Hi Joan! Just saw your comment. Yes – drain the can of chickpeas. I wasn’t picky about straining out the liquid entirely, I would just open up the can and strain out the main bulk of liquid, then dump the rest of the can contents into the pot. Thanks!
I made this tonight with a few changes. Didn’t use the dried cherries as I didn’t have any and kidney beans instead of chick peas for the same reason.
A couple edits I’d suggest making on your post. Your done temp for the chicken reads 365, and I’m guessing it’s supposed to read 165. Also, my pin never went down, so giving an exact time for when to press cancel would be nice.
**I just picked up my Instant Pot yesterday, and this was my first meal that I made. Thanks for a good first impression!
Glad it turned out for your first time using the IP – thanks so much for trying the recipe! Thanks for catching the 365 – it is 165, and I just updated the recipe. There isn’t an exact time for the cancel however – it’s whenever all steam has been released (you no longer hear or see steam coming out from the quick release function) and when the float valve pin has gone down. Your float valve pin **should** go down, however, as that’s the main indication that it’s ok to press cancel and open the lid… if it stays up above the lid surface top level, even after all steam has been released, it might indicate a faulty IP. :( Thanks again, Brandon, and I hope you continue to use and enjoy your Instant Pot!
Question: do you actually let it cook for 10 minutes after pressure had built or cancel as soon as it reaches pressure?
Hi Irina! Yes – it cooks for about 10 minutes after pressure has built up. Hope that helps!
Quick question on nutritional info. What’s the serving. Size and do you have the nutritional breakdown?
Hi Laura! I just updated the recipe with the serving size (it serves about 4 people) and nutrition info. Hope that helps!
THANK YOU!!
Looks amazing! I am also confused about the cook one. I have been using my IP for several months, but have never heard of bringing something to pressure and then turning to vent before the cook time is over. Did I misread that? Do I cook for 10 minutes and THEN do quick release? Or as soon as it comes to pressure, I vent and quick release? Thanks
Hi Katie! Cook for 10 minutes, then quick release. Sorry for any confusion.
I looks delicious! Best of all it’s easy. I don’t know what I would do without my Instant Pot. It has saved me so many times when everything just gets too busy.
Hello! My husband (a very picky eater and never cooks) sent me this recipe today and I couldn’t say no to him adventuring outside the box. I was skeptical myself and I am so glad I gave him the dinner reigns for the night, This was by far the best meal he has ever made me. I then sent it to my mom so she can try it one night as well. She texted back and noticed we have the same name. I wanted to introduce myself because I have never met a person with our unique name! I have looked over your recipes and definitely will be trying more!!
Hi Marlynn! It’s so fun to meet someone else with the same name! :) I am SO glad that you enjoyed this Instant Pot recipe! Thank you very much for stopping by and trying more recipes — let me know if you ever have any questions in the comments of any recipes. Thanks! :-)
I think the nutrition is being divided by 8 servings. I’ve loaded the recipe into several and come up with 640 calories in each serving.
This also was our first recipe we made in our instant pot! Very good!
I’m SO glad that you liked it, Jerry! Thank you so much for letting me know! Regarding the calories, I plugged it into our nutrition system a few times and the calories listed are what we came up with. Ours is specifically for the brand of items that I used (Foster Farms skinless, boneless chicken, etc) so sometimes you’ll notice nutrition info varying based on brand. what you calculate as an individual serving size, etc. Glad you liked the recipe!
Thanks for following up. But trying to be difficult, but Foster Farms this have 130 calories per 4 ouncrs. At 1.5 pounds, that’s 780 calories. Quinoa is very standard at ~160 calories per 1/4 cup uncooked, so that’s 480 calories in the recipe. So we’re at 1260 calories so far with just the 2 main ingredients. There is something wrong with the nutrition calculations.. The lowest I can get is 580 calories per serving. Which is still healthy, but a very large variance if a person is watching calories.
NOT trying to be difficult….. Sorry for typo.
I don’t often comment on recipes that I use but just wanted to say that this was delicious! I didn’t have any dried cherries so I just left them out but think that next time I’d throw in some raisins. I also added carrots just to get a few extra veggies into my kids but otherwise followed to T and it was a hit. This was only my second time using my instant pot and think that more recipes like this could definitely convert me from a skeptic to a lover. Thank you!
Thanks so much for trying the recipe! I am so glad that you and your family enjoyed it so much! Hooray!! :-)
Made this last night and LOVED it. I ended up using dried cranberries because I couldn’t find anything else (I was in a rush) and still came out amazing. I want to cook this next week for a dinner party with 8 people. If I double everything (3lbs chicken, 3 cups chicken stock, etc..) should I raise the cooking time to 20 minutes, or will 10 minutes+10 release suffice?
Also, forgot to say thank you for sharing!
On step 8, after you do “Add quinoa, dried cherries, chickpeas, chicken broth, and the browned chicken.” Do you stir everything together before cooking?
You can if you’d like!
I made this tonight exactly as stated above and it came out delicious. I did have to lower the sauté to “low” to keep the spice from burning on the chicken.
I’m going to try this soon!
LOVED this recipe! So much flavor for so little work. I used flavorless coconut oil instead of olive oil and rinsed the quinoa before throwing it in but otherwise followed recipe . It is a keeper. Thank you
Hooray! SO glad you loved it, Claire!
This is a HUGE hit with my family- my hubby asks for it often (and so does my MIL)! I’ve substituted the raisins for the cherries and when I ran out of chickpeas I used a can of corn with great success! I do use gloves when I season the chicken in the spices as the turmeric turns my nails bright yellow.
That’s so great, Valerie! Glad your family loves it!
This looks great! How would you adjust the recipe for chicken breasts?
Ooh, I would like to know this too.
Hi there! I would adjust the timing down by a few minutes – maybe try 6-8 minutes, provided that you use the same weight. That’s what I would do to adjust for other dishes. I’ve never used chicken breasts for this recipe, so if you try it, please let me know how it goes! :-)
Made this tonight with chicken breasts and kept the time at 10 minutes and it was great! Chicken was juicy and tender!
Awesome! Glad to hear it, Diana!
This was so tasty and easy – great flavors and it made the house smell amazing, too! Thanks for a great recipe!
Oh that makes me SO happy to hear! Thank you for trying the recipe!
Looks delish. However. this sentence beneath the ninth pic gave me pause:
“You can use a meat thermometer to double check the doneness of the chicken. If it’s at 365 degrees, then your chicken is ready to go!”
You might want to adjust that down about 200 degrees!
This is on my “must make soon” list. Thank you!
Thanks Joan! It’s actually 165 degrees and says so in the recipe, but thanks for catching that in the copy. Fixed it in the copy!
I think your instructions meant to say release the pressure “after the Instant Pot reaches pressure and FINISHES counting down from 10”, not, “After the Instant Pot reaches pressure and starts counting down from 10.”
Hi Paul! Nope, it’s written as I meant it to be :) The instructions state: “Once the contents have reached pressure, the Instant Pot will beep and start counting down 10 minutes.” And then it goes on to state in a separate sentence that after it’s done, then you vent. You’ve got the right idea, but that sentence is written differently than I think you read it. Thanks so much!
I’m not a natura cook but the husband couldn’t say anything but “wow, just wow” after he has the first few bites. Juicy and flavoursome and tender! Thank you for the recipe!
Where did you get your calorie count? My fitness pal is coming out closer to 600 calories per serving when I put the ingredients in and compute to 4 total servings. The dish is amazing and so easy, btw. I’m just trying to figure out if it is nearly double the calories per serving as published
Thanks for sharing this! Would it be possible to double this in a 6 qt. Instant Pot? If so, do you recommend any adjustments?
Hi Katie! I only use an 8-quart, and I personally wouldn’t double the recipe. I don’t think the chicken would cook properly, even with time adjustments, if the amounts were doubled. But, that’s just my thought. I have never tried doubling it in a 6-quart. If you do decide to try it, please do let me know how it goes!
Would any changes be needed if using bone-in skinless chicken thighs instead of boneless? Also, is this cooked on high or low pressure?
is it possible to substitute something for the quinoa – like couscous or rice?
You could certainly try something with a similar size and consistency, like couscous! If you do, let me know how it goes! :)
Thanks for posting this recipe.
I was craving moroccan chicken, didnt have a ton of time, and googled it for instant pot. Up popped your recipe.
I knew from making it old school that this recipe wouldnt have as much flavor/umami as the real deal so I added lemon juice (my current batch of preserved lemons arent ready and are really what this needs to pop), 8 water packed artichoke hearts and half cup of halved pitted green olive and kalamata olives) to the recipe as written.
Used the chopped dried cherries.
And because i love the taste and texture of trader joes harvest grain blend (israeli couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo, red quinoa), i used half a cup of the blend and half cup tri colored quinoa
My house smelled heavenly, it took one hour from ingredients to plate, and tasted amazing.
Once the preserved lemons come intoplay this is going to be amazing!
Thanks for posting.
I just made this yesterday with rice instead of quinoa and it turned out perfectly. I used 1 cup basmati rice and reduced the chicken broth to 1 cup. Same cooking time. Delicious! Will definitely be making this again.
Overall good but just a bit bland for my taste. I’m not too familiar with Moroccan cooking, would a bit of cinnamon in the spice blend, and some toasted almonds on top be good? Possibly my paprika was just old but that’s such a mild spice to begin with!
Hi, can I use something other than quinoa? Like couscous? If so, how? Would I put it in raw or precooked?
Thanks!!
Ok, this is cooking now in ye olde’ InstaPot..
Can’t wait to taste it and see how it compares to what I had in Chefchouen!
ShoKran, Habibi!
This looks delicious!! I’m wondering if I can substitute Israeli cous cous for the regular cous cous in the recipe. What do you think? Thanks so much!
Thanks, Sherrie! As I haven’t tried it specifically with Israeli couscous, I can’t say for sure, but I would think it would be fine. If you do try it, let me know how it goes!
This looks amazing! Can it be made in a slow cooker? How would you adjust the recipe?
Love this recipe. I’ve tried it a few times now. Always use Apricots instead of cherries as I’m not a huge cherry fan. I also add a bag of butternut squash on top of everything and it makes the sauce a little thicker (squash definitely cooks down to mush but it’s a good way to hide veggies from my toddler).
So glad to hear that you love it, Mary! Thanks! :)
I made this last night and it was delicious! I used raiains instead of dried cherries but followed everything else. This is a keeper! Thank you!
Fantastic! Glad you liked it, Leanne!
I just love chicken. I actually have never tried making it on my own. I really should!
Marlynn, this is really a great recipe. I will make this at the next chance i get.
Marlynn, WOW! so simple, yet SO tasty! This is fantastic, yum. Thanks for the recipe.
Super easy, one pot dish! We always use chicken thighs because they stay juicey. As is, I give the recipe 4-stars. By upgrading the recipe with a Moroccan spice blend, such as ras el hanout, it is much better… The limited new spices in the recipe don’t make it “Moroccan” enough (at least as a little cinnamon, allspice and dash of cloves, maybe a little cayenne for a tiny kick—but I leave this out because I’m feeding 2 toddlers).
Kids love this, especially the tangy cherries. We have it in permanent rotation in our house.
I have a box of instant couscous in my pantry. How will I adjust the recipe to use this box of instant couscous in the instant pot recipe?thanks.
Worked well on first try and will make again for sure! Added carrots and sweet potatoes, used chicken breasts cut in half, fresh cherries instead of dried and no ginger (just used what I had on hand). Could add some more spices but really tasty and highly recommend!
I took a shortcut and used Trader Joe’s Moroccan Spice mix. Made it twice and prefer cherries over apricots.
Love this recipe! Made it tonight as we were having company (on a week night after working all day). Made it exactly as directed, used red quinoa and instead of cherries I used medjool dates.. Oh and I threw in two small diced sweet potatoes just because we are going out of town and I wanted to use them up. It was very flavorful. Thank you for being so precise with the Instant Pot directions. I’m fairly new to the Instapot and specific instructions are a big help. Thank you so much for posting…this recipe is a keeper. Now I have to figure out how to “pin it” so I can find it again!
Hooray! So glad you loved it and it worked well for company. I know how tricky it can get on weeknights after a long work day :) Hope you try some of the other instant pot recipes – I have quite a few on the site now! Thanks, Caroline!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I substituted raisins and chicken breast strips for the thighs. I got a burn notice halfway through cooking :(
Any suggestions??
This is delicious! Any help w/ making this in a slow cooker vs. instant pot?
Can you use something besides quinoa? The protein coat on it makes me really sick-even when I wash it. Thank you
One of the best recipes I’ve made in my instant pot. I served it with some sour cream and harissa sauce I made. Thinned the sauce with water and drizzled over the top.
I omitted the dried fruit and instead added feta cheese, a good squeeze of lemon juice, and more coriander after it was finished. Would definitely make again.
I’ve never commented on recipes before, but this came out so perfectly that I had to! The chicken was so tender and the quinoa was super fluffy. I added cayenne and coriander to the spice mix, and I used a mirepoix (onions + carrots + celery) for the dish base. In the last step I also added capers and sliced green olives and used no dried fruit. Perfect cooking times and proportions!
Made this tonight! Very good and everyone loved it!
So glad to hear that, Sarah! :)
I’ve made this a couple of times and we LOVE it! Has anyone tried using basmati rice instead of quinoa? What would the cook times be for that?
I love this recipe and make it at least twice a month! It’s super easy and healthy. I use 3 chicken breasts so I increased the recipe to a cup of quinoa, 2 cups of chicken broth, and 3/4 cup cherries. There was a little liquid when I opened the instant pot, but after I took out the chicken, cut it up, then stirred it back in, the liquid was absorbed.
I wanted to like this, but it just wasn’t good. Maybe it needed more spices, maybe I followed the directions wrong, but it wasn’t for me. I’ve made a few Moroccan chicken recipes in the past. They were good but a lot of work, so I was excited to try a instant pot option. This recipe resulted in a bland, mushy mess.
Just tried this and it was DELISH!!! I used an super grain blend from trader Joe’s instead of the quinoa and chicken tenders and it turned out great! I will definitely make it again and try the other spices and dried fruit mentioned in the comments!
This recipe is now in heavy rotation for our family. We love the fragrant, delicate flavors. We’ve substituted the cherries with apricots and figs. Easy and tasty!
It was very easy to make and mine looked just like the photo above, but a tad bland in flavor. I have bad inherited DNA so I eat very healthy. No salt, no oil, no butter. And no dark meat chicken. 3 ounces of skinless chicken, whether wing, leg or thigh, has almost 20% more fat than 3 oz. of sirloin steak. My can chickpeas were organic and already low in salt, but by rinsing you lower the salt an additional one third. I used one large skinless chicken breast that I took the palm of my hand to make all the same thickness. I cut into pieces about 1.5 x 1.5 inches, rubbed all sides in the spice mix, less any salt, and sauteed. I use a spray, such as Pam, on the inside of the pan to sauteed the onions, garlic and fresh ginger in. Next time I will leave the chicken breast whole, then shred with two forks after cooking and add back. I did not have any dried cherries or apricots but did have a bag of dried cranberries and they were an excellent substitute. I admit that the missing salt would have heightened the flavor but I work very hard to follow the AHA guideline of 1,500 mg sodium/day for heart patients. (2,000/women, 2,500/men) I might try adding some Gram Masala to punch the flavor up a bit.
Very nice you must have to buy online fresh frozen chicken from victoria seara fresh frozen chicken
https://victoriasearafrozenchicken.com/
Delicious! I’ve just started a gluten free diet and this recipe was a great option for a quick dinner. I followed the recipe but omitted cherries (raisins/apricots) as I didn’t have them, but was still delicious.
So good!
This was delicious! I used chicken breasts and dried apricots and added cinnamon to the spice rub. Served on a bed of arugula, First attempt at cooking with my new instant pot—and this will become a favorite! Thank you!!
So glad you liked it, Jo! Thanks so much!
Did you change the time at all by using chicken breast?