Moroccan Coconut Chicken Stir Fry (one pan!)

I always love a stir fry recipe because it’s a great meal prep for the week. This Moroccan Coconut Chicken Stir Fry comes together in one pan, making it easy as can be. I love the warm flavors of the Moroccan cuisine, which feature cumin, cinnamon, paprika, ginger, coriander, and cloves. Then using canned coconut milk to cook the rice adds a creamy texture and delicious flavor. This dish is unique but SO good.

Nutritional benefits of this recipe

• Coconut milk is rich in caprylic acid, which helps fight high cholesterol, candida/yeast, and digestive disorders.
• Fennel is highly nutritious and supports heart health, skin health, etc. It’s rich in nutrients and antioxidants.
• Carrots, bell pepper, and red onion are rich in polyphenols which protect us from heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and systemic inflammation.
• For easy digestion of rice, it’s helpful to soak the rice in water then rinse it well. This decreases the starch and anti-nutrients, making it much easier to digest. For white rice, 30 minutes-2 hours is great.

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Ingredients

Chicken thighs – Or you can use chicken breast or tenderloins.

Fennel bulb – Fennel has a licorice or anise taste to it, but becomes sweeter as it cooks. It’s a classic vegetable used in Moroccan cooking, so it goes perfectly in this dish. If you’re concerned about the licorice flavor, then just note that I’m personally not a fan of licorice at all, but I love fennel cooked in dishes like this! If you really don’t want to risk it, then feel free to substitute it for another vegetable such as sweet potato.

Carrots

Bell pepper

Red onion – Or sub any other onion you would prefer.

Broth

Canned coconut milk – Use canned “light” coconut milk. The light version has most of the cream taken out, so it’s much lower fat. The full-fat version is still super healthy, but it would be too heavy for this dish.

White basmati rice – I recommend white rice because it’s quick to cook considering it will be in the same pan as the veggies. However, if you wanted to use brown rice, then just cook it in a pot with the broth and coconut milk separate from the chicken and veggies. Once cooked, you can stir it together with the chicken and veggies.

Spices – You can use a general moroccan spice blend (or if you’ve made my Savory Moroccan Spice Blend) or you can use individual spices. I personally used individual spices for this recipe which included cumin, paprika, cinnamon, ginger, coriander, cloves, black pepper, granulated garlic, and salt.

Avocado oil for cooking

Method

1. Using metal tongs, toss the cubed chicken in 1 Tbsp avocado oil and the spices called for. If you have time, let it marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Prep the fennel, carrots, and bell pepper as instructed.
3. Preheat a pan to medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp avocado oil once preheated then add the chicken. Cook each side of the chicken for 2-3 minutes until cooked through.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan onto a plate and cover it to keep it warm.
5. Using the same pan, add the prepped fennel, carrots, bell pepper, and red onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, cumin, and granulated garlic.
6. Add 1/4 cup broth and deglaze the pan if needed. Turn the heat down to low and add the rest of the broth as well as the canned light coconut milk. Fold in the rice, cover the pan, and cook for about 20 minutes until the rice is fully cooked.
7. Incorporate the cooked chicken back into the dish. Taste test and add salt or other seasonings as desired.
8. Plate and top with sliced green onion and parsley. Enjoy!

Modifications

• To use brown rice: Since brown rice takes about 3 times longer to cook than white rice, it won’t work as a one-pan substitute for this dish. If you want to use brown rice instead of white rice, then cook it in a separate pot with the broth and the canned coconut milk until ready (about 45 minutes or so). Then, incorporate it into the dish with the chicken and veggies.
• If you don’t like fennel or can’t find it at the local store, then sub any vegetable of choice such as sweet potato, squash, zucchini, beets, green beans, leeks, etc.
• Substitute chicken breast or tenderloins in place of the chicken thigh for a lower fat meal.
• If you don’t like coconut, then feel free to just use broth for cooking the rice. Use 1/4 cup broth to deglaze the pan (as stated in the instructions), then add 2 cups of broth in with the rice.

Light vs. classic coconut milk

For this recipe, we are using canned coconut milk. Canned coconut milk is different from that you would find in a carton in the refrigerated section. The canned milk is less processed and much richer in flavor and much creamier. You’ll likely find canned coconut milk in the Asian food aisle. When looking for it, make sure you pick up the “light” or “lite” coconut milk, NOT the classic coconut milk. The light coconut milk is lower in fat than the classic variety. The classic coconut milk is still delicious and healthy but it’s a little too heavy for this meal, so the light coconut milk is better for this meal.

Other recipes you’ll love

Fennel Shakshuka

Moroccan Chicken & Veg w/ Lemon Garlic Sauce

Moroccan Chicken Nourish Bowls

I hope you love this Moroccan Coconut Chicken Stir Fry! Please be sure to leave a comment and rating if you try it out. I would love to know what you think!

Moroccan Coconut Chicken Stir Fry (one pan!)

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• Author: Christine Manes
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner, meal prep
• Method: Skillet
• Cuisine: Moroccan

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Chicken:

2 Tbsp avocado oil, divided

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh, cubed (or chicken breast)

2 tsp Moroccan spice (or 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp coriander, 1/8 tsp cloves)

3/4 tsp salt

Veggies:

1 medium fennel bulb, chopped

2 medium carrots, sliced

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 red onion, diced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

Rice:

3/4 cup broth, divided

1 (15oz) can light coconut milk

*1 cup white basmati rice (brown rice doesn’t work here, read notes)

Toppings:

Chopped parsley

Sliced green onion

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Instructions

1. Using metal tongs, toss the cubed chicken in 1 Tbsp avocado oil and the spices called for. If you have time, let it marinate for 30 minutes. This would be a great time to also soak the rice in water for 30 minutes to make it more easily digestible (just put in a bowl, cover with water, then rinse when ready to use).
2. Prep the fennel, carrots, bell pepper, and red onion as instructed.
3. Preheat a pan to medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp avocado oil once preheated then add the chicken. Cook each side of the chicken for 2-3 minutes until cooked through.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan onto a plate and cover it to keep it warm.
5. Using the same pan, add the prepped fennel, carrots, bell pepper, and red onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, cumin, and granulated garlic.
6. Add 1/4 cup broth and deglaze the pan if needed. Turn the heat down to low and add the rest of the broth as well as the canned light coconut milk. Fold in the rice, cover the pan, and cook for about 20 minutes until the rice is fully cooked.
7. Incorporate the cooked chicken back into the dish. Taste test and add salt or other seasonings as desired.
8. Plate and top with sliced green onion and parsley. Enjoy!

Equipment

17-inch Cast Iron Skillet

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Notes

• For easy digestion of rice, it’s helpful to soak the rice in water then rinse it well. This decreases the starch and anti-nutrients, making it much easier to digest and also more nutrient-dense in general. For white rice, 30 minutes-2 hours is great.
• To use brown rice: Since brown rice takes about 3 times longer to cook than white rice, it won’t work as a one-pan substitute for this dish. If you want to use brown rice instead of white rice, then cook it in a separate pot with the broth and the canned coconut milk until ready (about 45 minutes or so). Then, incorporate it into the dish with the chicken and veggies.
• If you don’t like fennel or can’t find it at the local store, then sub any vegetable of choice such as sweet potato, squash, zucchini, beets, green beans, leeks, etc.
• Substitute chicken breast or tenderloins in place of the chicken thigh for a lower fat meal.
• If you don’t like coconut, then feel free to just use broth for cooking the rice. Use 1/4 cup broth to deglaze the pan (as stated in the instructions), then add 2 cups of broth in with the rice.

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