Spice up your weeknight dinner with this easy and delicious Ras el Hanout chicken recipe! Baked at 425°F, this Moroccan-inspired chicken has a ultra-crispy skin and incredibly juicy meat!
The North African Ras el Hanout seasoning is packed with aromatic spices like cinnamon and cumin, giving your chicken an exotic flavor twist!
Ingredients
Ras el Hanout is a complete spice, you don’t need anything else! Just add a little bit of salt and rub some extra virgin olive oil onto the chicken so that the Moroccan spice blend will stick to the skin.
- Chicken thighs or leg quarters (bone-in, skin-on)
- Extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon
- Fine salt, 2 teaspoons (adjust to taste)
- Ras el Hanout spice blend, 2 tablespoons
Chicken options
I prefer chicken leg quarters for this Ras el Hanout chicken recipe – this is the thigh and the drumstick in one piece.
Whole chicken legs or thighs are more affordable than chicken breasts and tastier, in my opinion. The darker meat and increased fat content makes this cut of chicken naturally juicier and more flavorful!
Dark chicken meat also is much more forgiving than breasts and you don’t need to worry about overcooking them.
However, if you prefer white meat, you can use chicken breasts – split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on) are the best for roasting, as they come out juicier and more flavorful.
I’ll list for you how long each cut needs to be cooked in the oven in the recipe directions below.
How to make
Before beginning, start preheating your oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil (or use a roasting pan with rack).
1. Pat dry the chicken with paper towels to remove excess moisture to make the skin crispier. Sprinkle salt, then rub the chicken all around in olive oil. The oil will help the seasoning stick.
2. Rub half of the Ras el Hanout onto the chicken, covering both the top and bottom. Then sprinkle and tap the remaining until every bit of the chicken’s surface is well coated. Feel free to add more as needed.
3. Place the chicken in the roasting pan with the skin side up. Take it into the oven preheated to 425°F (220°C). The cooking time will depend on the part of the chicken:
- Chicken thighs or leg quarters: 35 to 45 minutes for larger pieces.
- Chicken breasts: 18 minutes for very small breasts up to 26 minutes for large ones. Cooking time also varies depending on the thickness of the breast, thin breasts will cook faster even if they are larger.
- Split chicken breasts (bone-in): The bone increases the cooking time, so bake split breasts for 30-40 minutes depending on their size.
Hot tips & FAQ
Season it early
You can rub the chicken in Ras el Hanout early and keep it refrigerated for a few hours before cooking so even more flavor will penetrate the meat. This works like a Ras el Hanout marinade (but dry!)
Check internal temperature
According to the FDA chicken is safe to eat when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
Chicken thighs and quarters have slightly tougher meat due to the working muscles, and although safe to eat at 165 °F, they benefit from extra time in the oven to break down the connective tissue and become tender.
Based on this, I recommend baking thighs and legs until a meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the meat (not touching the bone) reads between 175 °F and 185 °F (80 °C – 85 °C). Don’t worry, the extra fat and collagen in dark chicken meat prevent it from becoming dry even at higher temperatures.
If making this recipe with breasts, you can remove them from the oven at between 155°F and 160°F as the temperature will rise as it rests (carry-on cooking), ensuring the more delicate breast meat won’t overcook.
Let chicken rest before serving
After removing the chicken from the oven, let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Allow some time for the juices to reabsorb into the meat before digging in and you’ll be rewarded with juicier chicken!
Why cooked chicken is still pink
Fully cooked chicken meat can still look pink due to the presence of hemoglobin, a protein found in blood that gives it its red color. It may also appear dark red / brown around bones due to seeping of bone marrow.
You cannot judge chicken doneness by its color. Chicken will be safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 165°F throughout, regardless of color.
There’s some images on this post of the Ras el Hanout chicken cut on my plate (it was difficult taking these photos and stopping myself from eating!)
As you can see, the meat is white outside, under the crisp crust of spicy skin, and it gets much darker towards the bone. I assure you, it was fully cooked, soft, juicy, and insanely delicious!
What’s Ras el Hanout
Ras el Hanout (also spelled Raz el Hanout) means “head of the shop” in Arabic, implying the best spices a merchant offers. It’s commonly used in Moroccan, Tunisian and Algerian cuisines.
It typically consists of a mixture of various spices such as cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, and more. As a result, Ras el Hanout can taste different depending on where you buy it.
I’ve tasted dishes seasoned with Ras el Hanout during trips to Casablanca and Tunis, where I also bought the spice from local markets. When I lived in the Middle East, it was easy to find. Even in Europe, where I live now, it’s available, though not as common.
What I’m trying to say is that, based on my experience, it doesn’t matter where you get your Ras el Hanout from or its exact spice blend. Although there’s no set recipe, the blends all taste very similar and always delightful!
What Ras el Hanout tastes like
Ras el Hanout is a rich, warm spice with an earthy and sweet, smoky aroma. It’s not spicy (as in hot), so you can use it liberally.
Ras el Hanout adds incredible flavor and it’s specially used in baked or grilled chicken, fish and lamb dishes.
Make ahead and storage
This chicken Ras el Hanout recipe tastes best fresh out of the oven, when the skin is crisp and the meat soft and juicy. But the leftovers are still very delicious. You can have it shredded in a salad or make a chicken sandwich (try with this pea protein bread!) or use as topping on savory keto waffles.
To keep leftovers fresh for longer, keep them refrigerated in an airtight container for to 3 to 4 days. You can freeze the chicken for up to 4 months.
Ras El Hanout Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Ras el Hanout seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fine salt
- 2.5 pounds (1134 g) chicken thighs, leg quarters or breasts skin-on, bone-in
Instructions
- Start preheating the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking pan or sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil (or use a roasting pan with rack).
- Pat dry the chicken skin with paper towels. Sprinkle salt, then rub the chicken all around in olive oil.
- Rub half of the Ras el Hanout onto the chicken, covering both the top and bottom. Then sprinkle and tap the remaining until every bit of the chicken’s surface is well coated. Feel free to add more as needed. It will not taste too strong.
- Place the chicken in the roasting pan with the skin side up. Take it into the oven preheated to 425°F (220°C). The cooking time will depend on the part of the chicken: 35 to 45 minutes for thighs or leg quarters, 30-40 minutes for split breasts (bone-in) or, if using boneless breasts, 18 minutes for small ones up to to 26 minutes for very large / thick ones.
- Remove from the oven and let the Ras el Hanout chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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