MOROCCAN SPICED CHICKEN

This dish is derived from a Grilled Moroccan Chicken recipe on Food.com, but with a few tweaks to make it even better for you! The trick to adjusting recipes is to preserve all the flavor while optimizing nutritional value, which is exactly what we did.

Here are the changes we made:

• Cut down the oil by half to reduce the fat content.

• Added black pepper to enhance the body’s absorption of circumin, which is the powerful phytonutrient in turmeric known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

• Reduced the portion of the chicken so that it yields a little over a cooked 4 oz portion, which is closer to an individual serving.

• Reduced the amount of salt. With so many spices and herbs, there really isn’t as much of a need for so much!

INGREDIENTS: serves 6

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup fresh scallion (white part only)

• 1/4 cup fresh parsley

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

• 3 garlic cloves

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• 2 tsp cumin

• 2 tsp smoked paprika

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/8 tsp black pepper

• 6, 6 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a high-speed blender, combine all ingredients except for the chicken. Blend until the marinade forms a paste-like consistency.

2. Marinate chicken breasts by putting the chicken in a silicone or plastic bag, or a storage container and pouring in the marinade, making sure to coat each piece of chicken. Close container or bag and store in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

3. Once chicken is marinated, heat a sauté pan to medium-high and cook chicken for 7-10 minutes, or until cooked through, flipping halfway. You can also cook over a grill.

4Q Journaling Guide: One piece counts as a serving of lean protein.