Moroccan Mustard Chicken

Moroccan Mustard Chicken Recipe

In Friday’s harissa recipe I promised that I would follow up with some ideas on how to put that pepper paste to good use. Well, allow me to introduce you to the recipe that inspired me to finally make my own harissa. A recipe so good that I made it twice in two weeks and my husband keeps asking for more. This Moroccan Mustard Chicken is from Nisrine over at the gorgeous blog Dinners and Dreams (if you haven’t discovered this blog then go check it out. I’ll be here when you get back!). She wrote it for the Boston Globe, and as soon as I saw it I bookmarked it. And couldn’t stop thinking about it. I decided that it was special enough that store-bought harissa just wouldn’t do. Which is why I made it from scratch. (See? Full circle.)

I’m not sure if there are words to describe how insanely delicious this dish is. It’s luscious and comforting, but elegant and far from heavy. The flavors play off one another – a hint of heat balanced by a dash of cream and tangy mustard. I’ve made it with and without mint, and both are good. You can even substitute harissa for cayenne if you like, and I suspect you can leave it out entirely and it would still be incredible. I added more harissa than the recipe called for, but I think it all depends on your harissa and your taste buds.

Moroccan Mustard Chicken Recipe

Since I made this twice and barely changed a thing, I’ll just let you head on over to Dinners and Dreams (and then in turn to the Boston Globe) to get the recipe. Nisrine gave me her blessing to post my photos and direct you to her blog. It was just too good not to share! Serve with a generous portion of couscous mixed with plenty of fresh chopped parsley or cilantro.

In other news, Maureen over at Orgasmic Chef did a profile on me for Food Writer Fridays! Hers is another great blog that you must check out (and she’s the genius behind the Easy Recipe plugin I use!). Thanks Maureen for the feature 🙂

69 thoughts on “Moroccan Mustard Chicken

  1. Tobias @ T and Tea Cake

    Wow, judging by how excited you are about this recipe it really must be amazing! Maybe I should try making harissa myself as well. The best one I have ever tried was ten years ago in Tunisia and none was able to hold a candle to this so far!

    Cheers,
    Tobias

    • Katherine

      Haha, yes, I am quite excited about this recipe. It really is that good! And definitely give making harissa a try. You can try to find a Tunisian recipe that will come close to your memory of it. So cool that you got to visit Tunisia!

    • Katherine

      Moroccan food is just wonderful!! This dish is actually somewhat different from most Moroccan recipes I’ve seen but sooooo good! I really hope you give this and other Moroccan food a try, I know you’ll love it!

  2. Nami | Just One Cookbook

    If I knew this is not spicy at all I would be cooking this right away – it’s hard to tell from the photos and I mean this looks really good!! We’re so lucky to be surrounded by good food blogs where we can try all kinds of new recipes and learn about them. I’m new to Moroccan food so it was fun to read. Off to Maureen’s site!

    • Katherine

      Nami you can easily leave out the harissa and it will still be delicious (and I mean delicious!!) and not at all spicy. Also even with the harissa it was barely spicy since the mustard and cream really counteract the heat.

    • Katherine

      Thank you Carolyn! It’s so true, they really are. It’s rainy and disgusting here right now and I could totally go for a big plate of this!

    • Katherine

      Thanks so much! I loved having my own harissa on hand and must make more already. It would also be great with store-bought harissa, or even without it entirely!

  3. SallyBR

    Indeed, a luscious recipe and perfect use for your harissa…

    I usually opt for dark meat to make this type of dish, but with your strong recommentationI will do it exactly as written and use chicken breasts.

    what s next for your harissa? a traditional. couscous? 🙂

    • Katherine

      Sally, dark meat would be excellent here as well but the white meat really did stay perfectly moist. Good question – I think a traditional couscous may have to be next! That’s something I want to make from scratch as well… 😉

  4. Kiri W.

    This looks so delicious! I loved Moroccan cuisine when I spent time there as a child, and mustard has always been one of my favorites. Thank you for sharing this dish!

    • Katherine

      Thank you Kiri! That is so cool that you spent time in Morocco as a child. I also love Moroccan cuisine and mustard, which is why I knew I’d love this 🙂

  5. Abby

    Hey there, I just wanted to let you know I tried your Hollandaise and got rave reviews! It was really easy to follow, and was my first ever attempt. Thank you for such great work 🙂

  6. beti

    I’ve done mustard chicken before but it’s really simple, I would love to give your recipe a try and by the way what a great blog with a funny name! haha

    • Katherine

      Mustard chicken is classic and delicious and this is a nice variation on it. Isn’t Maureen’s blog great! I know, the Orgasmic Chef. She gets your attention all right! 😉

  7. mjskit

    Just hand me a fork! Your dish definitely presents this recipe as a real winner and you certainly sold it! Twice in one week – that’s enough for me!

  8. Faye Levy

    Beautiful! This sounds delicious. You could say it’s a spicier version of French chicken dijonnaise, which I love.

  9. Island Vittles

    The pictures, and your gushing praise, make me want to put my other dinner plans on hold for tonight! I’ll wait until tomorrow, but then it seems I’ll be making my own harissa too, as I just emptied out the jar last week! Thanks Katherine…Theresa

    • Katherine

      Thanks Theresa!! It’s so good I made it yet again this week! I tried it without the harissa this time and it was still good but not as good – time to make some more! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did 🙂

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