Are you looking for more easy, healthy, family-friendly meals to add to your rotation? This one-pot Moroccan Chicken & Butternut Squash recipe might fit the bill. It’s comforting, and full of flavor, to satisfy everyone. It’s also naturally low-carb and made without gluten, grains, dairy, nuts, and soy, to fit almost any dietary need, including paleo and keto!
Moroccan Chicken & Butternut Squash for a Low-Carb, One-Pot Meal
This one-pot meal is easy, flavorful, and pretty straight forward. But just in case, I have some more information and options to address any concerns
What is Ras El Hanout?
This Moroccan chicken recipe featuresRas El Hanout, which is a Moroccan spice blend that loosely translates to “top shelf.” It implies the best mix of spices that a seller has to offer. It usually contains over a dozen different spices, which often include coriander, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, clovers, ginger, green cardamon, nutmeg, paprika, allspice, and turmeric, among others. Some Ras El Hanout blends contain salt, and some don’t, so keep this in mind when seasoning this dish. You can find this spice mix in many grocery stores, in the spice section. But it’s also easy and affordable to order online.
Coconut-Free Option
If you can’t do coconut, or simply don’t like the taste, you can dredge your chicken in another type of flour (of choice). Just keep in mind it might affect the low-carb status of the recipe. And you can substitute your favorite cooking oil for the coconut oil.
Serving Suggestion
This is a one-dish meal, which means, you can simply serve it as is – no sides required. But since it’s a bit soupy, we also like it with rice, cauliflower rice, or a mixture of the two.
Special Diet Notes: Moroccan Chicken & Butternut Squash
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and paleo-friendly. It might also suit some keto diets.
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Sea salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 red serrano pepper
- 3 tablespoons ras el hanout (spice blend)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into 2-inch cubes
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge it in the coconut flour.
- In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the coconut oil and olive oil. In two batches, cook the chicken through until browned and crisp. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
- Add the onions, ginger, garlic, and red pepper to the same pot. Sprinkle with salt, to taste. Add the ras el hanout and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes.
- Stir in the broth, squash, and tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the spinach to wilt.