Moroccan spices are the perfect flavor addition for chicken thighs, roasted vegetables, and tomato-based stews. When I traveled to Morocco in college, I fell in love with the warm spices. I remember eating the most delicious tagine and Moroccan Chicken, yum!

Here’s how to make your own homemade Moroccan spice blend with 7 basic spices you probably already have!

What Makes This Seasoning Great

Any recipe is only as good a the spices in it. This Moroccan spice blend is packed with flavor and is a favorite in my kitchen for so many reasons.

• This Moroccan seasoning is savory and slightly smoky. It has wonderful hints of cumin, ginger, and turmeric. It has a delicious balance.
• It’s typically a beautiful orange in color thanks to the cumin, turmeric, chili powder, and cayenne.
• I make a batch of this blend to keep at all times because it’s an easy way to add delicious flavor to the simplest meals.

What spices are in a Moroccan spice blend?

All you need is 7 total ingredients for our homemade Moroccan spices, and you likely have all of these on hand already!

• Cumin is a warm and earthy spice.
• Turmeric pairs well with warm spices and adds gorgeous color to any meal.
• Ginger powder is a warm and spicy ground spice.
• Garlic powder is a savory and earthy spice that everyone loves.
• Chili powder is an earthy and savory spice that can sometimes make spices a little spicy, depending on the freshness of the mix.
• Cayenne powder is earthy and spicy.
• Salt enhances all of the flavors of the other spices.

How to Use Moroccan Spice Blend

I love using this spice blend to flavor simple things like simple vegetables or sauces. Below are more ways you can utilize this spice mix.

Chicken: I love making Moroccan chicken and have great recipes for Instant Pot Moroccan Chicken and a One-Pot Moroccan Chicken. These recipes call for chicken thighs, but you can easily use this blend for breasts, legs, and whole chicken. Use about 3 tablespoons of spices for 1.5 lbs. of chicken.

Other Meat: Try using a tablespoon or two with ground beef or turkey for a Moroccan twist on tacos or lettuce wraps!

Roasted Veggies: Sprinkle on a tablespoon or two over a pan of roasted veggies before you roast them for a delicious flavor boost.

Soup: This blend would be delicious in any soup or stew. I recommend using 2 tablespoons in our Sweet Potato Lentil Stew in place of the other spices it calls for.

How do I store this blend?

Store your spice blend in a glass container or jar in a cool, dark place.

Inspiration for this Blend

This Moroccan spice blend is a simplified, pantry-friendly version of Ras el Hanout. Ras el Hanout is a traditional Moroccan spice blend.

What can I use if I don’t have Moroccan seasoning?

If you don’t have Moroccan seasoning, you can use a few teaspoons of any of the seasonings below mixed together.

• garlic powder
• turmeric powder
• cayenne pepper
• ginger powder
• onion powder
• ground cumin
• chili powder

Which spices, herbs, and condiments are most commonly used in Moroccan cooking?

Moroccan cooking uses a variety of delicious dried herbs, fresh herbs, and condiments. Some commonly used fresh herbs are mint and thyme, and dried spices may consist of garlic, cumin, turmeric, cumin, and chili powder.

This is my 5-star chicken seasoning — it’s a combination of sweet, savory, and smoky all made from pantry staples.

Perfect for any cut of chicken and cooking method, this chicken rub is designed to be generously applied and left to sit for 15 minutes, ensuring a flavor-packed chicken every time.

Lots of you have made my famous chicken seasoning and rated it 5 stars because it’s truly the best. It’s sweet from brown sugar, savory from garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin, and smoky from the paprika. You can season any cut of meat with it and make a big batch to store in the cabinet for later. Heck, I’ve even used it to season veggies and other types of meat

I truly believe this is the most delicious seasoning for chicken as we’ve featured it in so many of our chicken recipes on Fit Foodie Finds — baked chicken legs, spatchcock chicken, and stuffed chicken breast. And, I think it rivals Montreal Chicken Seasoning for the best on the internet

What spices are in this chicken seasoning?

Instead of buy a pre-made chicken seasoning at the store, dig into your pantry for these spices:

• Garlic powder
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Dried thyme
• Ground mustard
• Dried basil
• Ground pepper
• Red pepper flakes
• Sea salt
• Paprika
• Brown sugar

Variations

Swap the sweetener: you can swap (or omit) the brown sugar with coconut sugar of maple sugar.

Now it’s time to season your chicken!

Wondering how to season chicken? It’s so easy. My #1 tip is to make sure not to under-season your chicken. Nothing is worse than flavorless chicken. Plus, this seasoning isn’t overly salty, so you really can’t over-season.

1. Pat your chicken dry with a paper towel.
2. Then, sprinkle seasoning on all sides of your chicken and lightly rub it into the meat.
3. Let sit for around 15 minutes for optimal flavor.

How long does homemade chicken seasoning last?

This homemade chicken seasoning will last around 12 months if stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. That’s if you don’t use it up first!

Store this seasoning in an airtight container such as a jar for up to 12 months in a cool, dark place.