My Moroccan chicken soup is a deliciously warming and cozy pick when the evenings become chilly, warming the belly with lots of hearty and nutritious ingredients. Brimming with fragrant spices, colorful vegetables, chickpeas, and chunks of tender chicken in a rich aromatic broth, this Moroccan chicken soup recipe is just the comforting meal to ladle up and enjoy with fluffy couscous!
A chicken soup with zesty Moroccan spices and fluffy couscous
As the evenings become chillier and we retreat indoors much earlier, a warming and comforting bowl of soup filled with aromatic spices is exactly the kind of meal that I love to partake in.
My Moroccan chicken soup is the perfect fare for the fall and winter, because you can just taste the warmth and the coziness in each and every spoonful. We can also rest assured knowing we're getting lots of nutrition from all the colorful vegetables, the juicy chicken, the fresh herbs, plus the spoonfuls of fluffy couscous.
I've always had a soft spot for Moroccan cuisine with its rich, earthy flavors and warm, fragrant spices which utterly awaken the tastebudsβthere's nothing quite like it! So I love to make a meal out of this fragrant and mouthwatering soup, and it has become one of my all-time favorites.
This Moroccan chicken soup tastes like one has spent all day simmering it up, but it's actually a very simple and fairly quick soup to prepare and have ready to warm the belly on short notice.
Perfect to enjoy on the couch, wrapped in a cozy blankie, a bowl of this hearty soup is just the meal when extra TLC is needed, a little food for both the body and the soul.
My recipe for Moroccan chicken soup
When I created the recipe for this fragrant soup, I wanted it be hearty enough to make a complete meal out of it, filled with lots of nutritious ingredients.
I love a lot of color in my soups, so I use an array of vegetables such as carrots, celery, onion, garlic, butternut squash, diced tomatoes, as well as potatoes. And since chickpeas are a staple used in Moroccan cuisine, I also add organic canned chickpeas for even more protein and heartiness.
Because I love Moroccan cuisine as much as I do, I use a generous amount of spices as wellβthey create an inviting warmth in this soup. I use a Moroccan spice blend called "ras el hanout", along with white and black pepper, and a bit more cumin, coriander, and cinnamon.
This Moroccan chicken soup is not spicy, but has lots of flavorful spices to create that rich, earthy warmth and zestiness in each bite, so everyone can easily enjoy a bowlful.
And because this is a chicken soup, I add in a couple generous cups of cooked chicken (I use rotisserie chicken here, or some leftover roasted chicken, to make it easy). I finish the soup with an array of vibrant herbs such as cilantro, parsley and mint.
To create a bit more texture and some heartiness to each bowl of soup, I cook up some delicate couscous separately, and add a few heaping spoonfuls to individual servings, which is absolutely delicious. And with an extra drizzle of silky olive oil, every bite is just heavenly!
Here's a glance at my Moroccan chicken soup recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)
- To get started, I add my aromatic veggies to my large soup pot (about 6 to 8 quart size), and allow those to sweat and soften for a few moments.
- Next, I stir in my garlic and my spices.
- Once the spices become aromatic, I add in my chickpeas, tomato paste and diced tomatoes (with juice), then stir to combine.
- My chicken stock goes in next, and I then allow the soup to come to a boil. Once boiling, I then turn down the heat and cover the pot, letting the soup gently simmer for about 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, I prepare my couscous to have ready to add to individual bowls of soup.
- To finish this Moroccan chicken soup, I turn off the heat and add in the cubed or shredded cooked chicken and the fresh herbs.
- To serve, I ladle my soup into a shallow bowl, and add about ΒΌ cup or so of the cooked couscous directly into the center of bowl.
- To finish, I drizzle with some extra olive oil and sprinkle over more fresh herbs, and enjoy!
Recipe
Moroccan Chicken Soup
by Ingrid Beer
Rich and aromatic,, this Moroccan chicken soup is loaded with veggies and warming spices, and topped with fluffy couscous!
Category: Soup
Cuisine: Moroccan
Yield: Serves 8
Nutrition Info: 392 calories (with about ΒΌ cup of couscous)
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- 1 medium white onions, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 cup diced butternut squash
- 1 russet potato, peeled and diced
- Salt
- 7 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
- 2 teaspoons ras el hanout spice blend
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Β½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ΒΌ teaspoon cinnamon
- ΒΌ white pepper
- ΒΌ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices
- 7 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup uncooked couscous
- 2 Β½ cups cooked, diced or shredded chicken (rotisserie is perfect here)
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish
- 4 large mint leaves, chopped (optional)
- Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
- Place a large soup pot (6 to 8 quart) over medium heat, and drizzle in about ΒΌ cup of the olive oil. Once hot, add in the diced onion, carrot, celery, butternut squash, and potato, along with a couple of generous pinches of salt. Stir to combine, and saute the vegetables for about 3 to 5 minutes, until just beginning to soften.
- Next, add in the garlic, followed by the ras el hanout, the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, white pepper and black pepper, and stir to incorporate. Once aromatic (after about 1 minute), stir in the tomato paste to incorporate.
- Then, add in the chickpeas and diced tomatoes with juices, and stir to combine. Pour in the chicken stock, stir once more, bring the soup up to a gentle boil. Cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to medium-low or low, and allow the soup to gently simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- While the soup simmers, prepare your couscous by adding the 1 cup of water to a small pot, along with about 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, and turn off the water. Add in the 1 cup of dry couscous, stir well, then cover the pot and allow the couscous to soften for 5 minutes until all water is absorbed. After 5 minutes, fluff the couscous with fork, and set aside.
- Once the soup has simmered, turn off the heat. Add in the diced or shredded chicken, the parsley, cilantro and mint (if using), and stir to combine.
- Ladle the soup into bowl, and spoon into the center a generous scoop of the couscous (about ΒΌ cup or so), garnish with more cilantro if desired, and enjoy.
Tips & Tidbits for my Moroccan chicken soup recipe:
- Ras el hanout, a combination of warming, Moroccan spices: Ras el hanout is an aromatic spice mixture used in Moroccan cooking, which adds lots of depth and warmth to this soup. You can typically find it in the spice section of the market, or you can order on-line if your market doesn't carry it.
- Rotisserie chicken, as a short cut: If you already have some cooked chicken on hand you'd like to use up, that will work perfectly for this soup. If not, opt for good quality rotisserie chicken, as it's a terrific timesaver and will streamline things. You can either chop or shred the chicken for the soup.
- Fluffy couscous, to serve over top: Couscous is incredibly easy to prep, and takes only 5 minutes to cook. I like to keep it separate from the pot of soup, and just add servings into individual bowls of soup as to not absorb all of the broth. Use about a ΒΌ cup or so for each serving. If enjoying leftovers, you can spoon the cold couscous directly into your bowl of soup, then re-heat so that everything gets nice and hot together.
Hungry for more warming and spiced recipes? Check out my recipe for Moroccan Chicken, Chickpea Chili, Sausage and Lentil Soup, Curry Lentil Soup, Potato Curry with Peas, Moroccan Chicken Wrap, or my recipe for Spicy Chickpea Stew with Eggplant!
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