Pressure Cooker Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives is infused with Lemons, Fragrant Spices and Salty Green Olives. Take a trip to Morocco with me. This is a “dump and push start” meal, as well as Low Carb, Keto, Weight Watchers friendly!

Pressure Cooker Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives

My college roommate, Mariah was born in Morocco. Cool, huh?

Our second year of college, we lived off campus in the “theatre” house, with two other roommates, Dean and Graham. Dean was into stage construction and Graham was also an actor, frequently as a leading man and paired with Moriah. Moriah had (and still has) a beautiful singing voice. She was cast in all the ingénue rolls at the University of Florida.

This Pressure Cooker Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives is dedicated to my friend, Moriah, who is now a big wig in a Florida school, directing teaching acting.

Cast of Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives

Pressure Cooker Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives is a “dump and push start” recipe.

Most ingredients are Pantry Staples.

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Ingredients in Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Garlic
Ground Paprika
Kosher Salt, Ground Cumin, Ground Ginger
Ground Coriander, Turmeric Powder, Cinnamon Stick
Sambal Oelek Ground Chili Paste
Green Olives
Preserved Lemons

Preserved Lemons work really well here, but plain old Lemons can be used, if you don’t have preserved.

Chicken and Spices Marinate for 30 Minutes

What are Preserved Lemons?

They are Lemons which have been sliced or quartered and kept in a Glass Mason Jar with salt.
They are first cut and packed into a Glass Mason Jar, with Salt added between each layer and then tightly packed and pressed into the jar, so that the juice is extracted.
After storing for a week on the counter, they are then moved to the refrigerator. When the peels become translucent, they are ready to use. This takes about a month. The flavor of the Lemons are less tart and salty.

If you do not have Preserved Lemons on hand, cut up Lemons and add some Kosher Salt to the marinade….but make some Preserved Lemons for next time. For a bit more Lemon Flavor, I added a few pieces of plain Lemon to the Marinade. This helps to tenderize the chicken and keep it juicy.

For this recipe, I used Chicken Breasts and Chicken Thighs. So that the Chicken would cook evenly, I cut the Thighs smaller than the Breast, which I only cut in half.

Thick Sliced Onions

The Onions will cook very fast and in order to prevent them from completely disintegrating, cut them nice and thick!

We’ll cook down the liquid a bit at the end and let the Onions thicken the Sauce.

Make sure to use a good and sharp knife when cutting. Add the Onions to the Container or Baggie with the Chicken Pieces and the Marinade.

This is an easy Freezer Meal, as you can do all the prep work and package up the Chicken and Marinade and use your Foodsaver and store the package in the freezer. Another really good and flavorful recipe to try is my Pressure Cooker Balsamic Garlic Chicken. It also is great for a make a head Freezer Meal.

Remove Chicken from Refrigerator

How to Make Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives?

Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives is commonly made on the stove in a Cast Iron Skillet or Dutch Oven.
It is also cooked in a Traditional Tagine or can be slow cooked or slow roasted in an Oven.
The process for cooking on the Stove is slow.
The Preserved Lemons are added at the end, while thickening the Sauce. It gives the Sauce a Salty and Lemony flavor.

In order to use the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker, we’ll do things a bit differently. Pressure Cooker Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives takes a fraction of the time and is equally as delicious. Try to push the Onions to the bottom of the cooking pot, to keep the Chicken off the bottom.

Green Olives without Pimento

If I were cooking this Pressure Cooker Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives recipe on the Stove Top, I would add in the Green Olives, after the Chicken is cooked. There is a longer Simmering Process, so that would help incorporate the flavors.

For this Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker, recipe, I’ve chosen to add them in right away. We will only need a short simmer, so, better to add the Green Olives in with the Chicken.

Couscous Cooks at the Same Time

Cooking Couscous at the same time as my Pressure Cooker Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives is so simple. My Instant Pot Cranberry Spice Couscous would be lovely with this recipe.

There are also couple of Couscous recipes in my This Old Gal Pressure Cooker Cookbook you will enjoy.

Lid with Steam Vents Work Best

The Stainless Steel Stacking Pan Inserts come in two tiers or three. My recommendation is the Ekovana Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker Stackable Pans Set, which is good for either larger or smaller portions of Pot in Pot Rice, Potatoes or Couscous. Both have the optional lid with the steamer holes and both have a solid lid!

Besides using the Stacking Pans for this Pressure Cooker Moroccan Chicken and Olives recipe, I use them in my Pressure Cooker Choco-Spice Layer Cake recipe and my Pressure Cooker Grandma’s Egg Custard recipe.

Instant Pot Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives

The Onions will further cook down during the Simmer stage. At that point, the Preserved Lemons will be added and the liquid reduced to almost nothing, but an Onion Mush. 🙂

Serve over Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes, Pressure Cooker Couscous (in my book), Pressure Cooker Pot in Pot Rice, Air Fryer Simply Delicious French Fries (popular in Moroccan restaurants.

More Instant Pot Mediterranean Recipes to Make:

My Pressure Cooker Healthy Carrot Potato Mash is really good with this Chicken Dish too.

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

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Here is the handy printable recipe: