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This Moroccan Chicken is a quick, flavorful meal for you to easily prepare in your Instant Pot! It makes the perfect addition to a weeknight or batch-cooking routine. Our family likes it best served over cauliflower rice, but you can also use it to top spiralized or mashed root vegetables.
If you are looking to get ahead with a recipe that keeps well in the freezer, this one fits the bill there as well!
- 1 tablespoon solid cooking fat
- 2 onions, cut into large chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1" piece ginger, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons water or Bone Broth
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 cups chopped parsnips or turnips
- 5 cups chopped butternut squash (about 1 small)
- ½ cup dried apricots, quartered
- ½ cup kalamata olives, pitted
- ½ lemon, juice and zest reserved
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Cilantro and cauliflower rice, for serving
- Add the solid cooking fat to the bottom of your Instant Pot and press the "saute" button. When the fat has melted and the pan is hot, add the onions, and cook, stirring, for about 7 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Turn off the heat.
- Add the water, salt, and turmeric to the pot and stir to combine. Add the root vegetables, squash, apricots, olives, lemon juice, and zest, and stir to combine. Add the chicken thighs, nestling in the vegetables. Close and lock the lid and cook on "manual - high pressure" for 9 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, use the "quick release" method to depressurize with a damp towel.
- Serve on a bed of cauliflower rice (or spiralized vegetables) topped with fresh cilantro.
23 comments
Greetings,
Thank you for the wonderful website and Instagram site. I thought that the Instant Pot requires a minimum of
1/4 cup of liquid to work properly? Would it burn with only two tablespoons of liquid?
Thank you, Anne Regen
Hi Anne! It works out for this recipe because the chicken and vegetables release a lot of juice during cooking (not to mention you start with some oil and lemon juice). I’ve never had it burn, and I’d be cautious to add more liquid or you’ll end up with a soup on the other end. Hope it helps!
I’m so glad you asked this! Lol. I was wondering the same thing 😊
Have you tried this receive on the stovetop? If so, how long would you recommend covering and cooking the root veggies and chicken? Or will this recipe not translate well to the stovetop? Looks delicious, but I’m a kitchen minimalist, and am trying to avoid purchasing more kitchen appliances! Thank you.
Hi Anna! No, I have not, I recommend finding a similar recipe with instructions for stovetop cooking. I would suggest using my lamb stew recipe from the Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook as a base (you can sub chicken and reduce the cooking time).
Would it be possible to cook this on top of the stove or in a traditional slow cooker? Any advice on either method? I haven’t purchased an Insta-Pot yet.
Hi Denise! See my other comment – in short, I recommend finding another recipe as I have not tested this one for the stovetop yet.
I’m SO slow braising this for lunch meal prep next week. Thank you!!
Jaime – let me know how you convert this one to a braise, I am sure others will want to do that as well!
[…] Instant Pot Moroccan Apricot Chicken from Autoimmune Wellness *Mickey has a quick cooking meal for us – rich with Moroccan flavor! […]
hi mickey, I use a Kuhn Rikon Duromatic pressure cooker, and I know that you’ve used that for other recipes, so I’m wondering if you can tell me how to modify for the difference in pots. Hopefully I can apply your answer to your other instant pot recipes, too?
(I’ve also been wondering about making stovetop recipes from your book – eg classic chicken soup & moroccan lamb stew – in my pressure cooker, but if that’s too much to address in this post, I understand!)
Hi Elaine! I used a Kuhn Rikon before my Instant Pot, it is a great pressure cooker! The important thing to know is that the high pressure on the IP is SLIGHTLY less than the high pressure on the KR. I think you could try this recipe as-written and see what you get – but if you convert any longer-cooking IP recipes, I might decrease the time just slightly.
It will be too tricky to talk you through converting other stovetop recipes to a pressure cooker – but know I am using the IP so much these days that I’ll be posting more pressure cooker recipes on the blog soon. And I have a ton of them in my latest book, The Nutrient-Dense Kitchen!
The non-Instant Pot version is one of my favorite recipes from your cookbooks. (I have three of the four — didn’t know about The Nutrient Dense Kitchen.) I just moved and haven’t found the box with my cookbooks yet, and I don’t have an Instant Pot. I’d be grateful for the original recipe — craving that Moroccan chicken!! Thank you
Hi Karen! I’m so happy you love this recipe! Unfortunately I have not shared that recipe online as it is one of the exclusives to my first book. I hope you find it soon, or use this IP recipe to adapt!
I HIGHLY recommend The Nutrient Dense Kitchen, fyi. I use it all of the time!
The first time I tried this my instapot gave the a burn notice 🙁 I added more liquid and it was a bit soupy so I’ll have to play with it. Turned out delicious either way!!!
Dianna, interesting – maybe the valve wasn’t fully shut at the beginning and some moisture escaped? This recipe definitely starts out on the dry side as the moisture increases as the meat and vegetables cook. Glad it tasted good even with that modification!
Super tasty! I served it over a bed of mixed greens, and it was really lovely.
Happy you loved it Beth!
This was delicious! This will go into the regular rotation. Really wonderful flavors and easy to make.
Happy you enjoyed Christy!
We had a burn error, too. Our IP throws the burn error of there isn’t enough liquid at the start and through cooking. Had to add water. Turned out great after clearing the burn!
Interesting to hear CG! I’ve never had the burn error when making this recipe in my Instant Pot. I wonder if my chicken is “juicier” than what some people are using. That is the only thing I can think of!