Chermoula is a marinade or sauce used in Moroccan and other North African cuisines; it is typically used on seafood, but also may be used to flavor chicken and other meats.* Chermoula usually contains garlic, oil, herbs (frequently cilantro), lemon (I’ve seen both pickled lemon and/or lemon juice used), and spices (such as cumin, paprika, and/or cayenne pepper). The bright, fresh flavors in chermoula add a vibrant, refreshing quality and punch of flavor to whatever dish it’s used in.
I made a few changes to the traditional chermoula to really make this lovely condiment my own. I added golden raisins for a little sweetness and instead of cilantro I used a combination of fresh parsley and mint (because that’s what I grow and have readily available). Lastly, instead of preserved lemon (which I forgot to pick up at the market), I used both lemon zest and juice. Feel free to adapt this recipe to suit your preferences or what you have on hand.
In this meal I used the chermoula in two different ways: as a stuffing rolled up inside the chicken, and thinned out into a sauce to dress the pilaf. Everything ended up being delicious; the chicken was tender and juicy and full of bright, fresh flavors that paired beautifully with the earthy, nutty flavor of the bulgur pilaf.
Golden Raisin Chermoula Chicken with Bulgur Pilaf
(Yield: 4 servings)
2 large carrots, sliced into thin rounds
4 TB olive oil, divided
1/4 c golden raisins/sultanas
1 1/4 c chopped fresh parsley, divided
1/4 c chopped fresh mint
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 tsp lemon zest
3 TB lemon juice, divided
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste, depending on how spicy you like it)
4 (about 6 oz) chicken breast cutlets
1 c bulgur wheat
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 425F. Toss the carrot slices with 1/2 TB of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Turn the oven down to 375F. In a food processor, pulse the raisins about 10 times, or until roughly chopped. Add 3/4 c chopped fresh parsley, the fresh mint, and 1 clove minced garlic, and pulse another 10 times, or until the entire mixture is finely chopped. Transfer this mixture to a bowl and add the chopped onion, lemon zest, 2 TB lemon juice, 2 TB olive oil, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, and 1/8 each salt and pepper; stir to combine the chermoula.
Reserve 1/4 c of the chermoula for the bulgur pilaf and divide the remaining chermoula into 4 equal portions; evenly spread each portion onto each chicken cutlet, then start at one end and roll up each cutlet, securing the seam with toothpicks. Heat 1/2 TB olive oil in an oven-safe medium-sized pan over medium heat; add the rolled up chicken cutlets and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until they’re golden brown. Transfer the pan of chicken to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes after it’s done cooking before removing the tooth picks and slicing it.
In a medium saucepan with a lid, combine 1 c bulgur wheat with 2 c cold water, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. With the pot uncovered, bring the bulgur up to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, then cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let the bulgur stand for 10 minutes. Transfer the reserved 1/4 c chermoula back to the food processor and add 1 TB olive oil, 1 TB lemon juice, and 2 TB water; pulse until everything is combined well and has a consistency similar to salad dressing. Fluff the bulgur with a fork, then stir in the roasted carrots, 1/2 c fresh minced parsley, and the chermoula dressing. Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary.
To serve, arrange the sliced chicken on top of the bulgur pilaf.
*Information in part from Wikipedia.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
September 29, 2010 at 5:50 pmOh Faith, I shouldn’t have looked at this so close to lunchtime! I love how you’ve stuffed the chicken to keep it flavoursome and moist! :D
Nutmeg Nanny says
September 29, 2010 at 5:54 pmThis looks healthy and delicious!
Jeannie says
September 29, 2010 at 6:10 pmNow that is one chicken dish I would love to sink my teeth into! Looks very delicious and healthy too! I shall pass on the pilaf though because I am not so into rice.
Jen says
September 29, 2010 at 6:36 pmFabulous as always!
Veronica says
September 29, 2010 at 7:27 pmYou are such a gourmet cook! This looks fantastic.
jen cheung says
September 29, 2010 at 7:39 pmyumms! the chicken looks delicious! must be a lot of work to stuff those things in eh? I wannt a piece of it!
Have a wonderful day up ahead!
jen @ http://www.passion4food.ca
elra says
September 29, 2010 at 7:55 pmTruly wonderful dish, I always like bulgur pilaf !
Carolyn Jung says
September 29, 2010 at 9:14 pmNow, that is a pretty dish. All that eye-popping green really makes it so enticing. A great way to dress up chicken.
Anna Johnston says
September 29, 2010 at 9:54 pmI love it when I learn something new. I’ve only ever had Chermoula flavours in seafood, not chicken. This looks wonderful. Combining this dish with Pilaf is a winner too. Nice one Faith :)
Rosa says
September 29, 2010 at 10:34 pmA beautiful dish! Lovely pilaf.
Cheers,
Rosa
sophia says
September 30, 2010 at 12:41 amOoh…the textures and the flavors here…you are the queen of that, Faith. I always did love bulgur!
Honey @ honeyandsoy says
September 30, 2010 at 2:27 amIt’s almost dinner time and I am starving so I wish I didn’t see this cos it looks delish! Lucky we are also having chicken for dinner :) We will have to try this dish though, cos Soy made a batch of chermoula last weekend!
Barbara says
September 30, 2010 at 4:12 amI’ve never heard of chermoula! Love to learn new things, Faith. This dish really looks delicious! I don’t cook with bulgur nearly enough.
pigpigscorner says
September 30, 2010 at 4:20 amwow, gorgeous flavours! I like having a bit of sweet stuff in savoury dishes.
Katerina says
September 30, 2010 at 5:00 amRaisins give a very sophisticated flavor to meat. I have a couple of recipes with raisins and I will add your in them. Morocco lately is quite in fashion. I must admit they have a very flavorful kitchen. Beautiful dish.
Peggy says
September 30, 2010 at 5:00 amThis looks great! Definitely putting it on my list of dinners to make real soon!
chriesi says
September 30, 2010 at 5:12 amThat pilaf looks very mouthwatering and the chicken is wonderful!
Jessie says
September 30, 2010 at 5:32 amAren’t golden raisins so tasty? I think that was a great modification to make to this traditional dish :) You know, I’ve never really liked bulgur, but maybe I just haven’t been preparing it right? I”ll have to try your version and see if I like it any better – it sure looks good in your pictures!
By the way … HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! :D
Mo says
September 30, 2010 at 7:53 amFaith! Lazaro told me it was your birthday so HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! :D
I’m loving the sound of the chermoula. I’ve ever heard of it before but that’s usually the case anyway when I read your posts. I always learn something new. :)
This dish looks incredibly decadent and I can almost taste the wonderful contrast between the sweetness of the raisins and the savoriness of… well, the rest of the dish. :P
Have a fantastic day. <3
Swathi says
September 30, 2010 at 8:20 amHappy Birthday to you Faith. Chermoula sounds delicious. As it contains all the spices I am familiar with. Sure it taste great.
lequan says
September 30, 2010 at 9:01 amWhat a beautiful dish. I grew up eating mostly Chinese food all my life and didn’t really explore cuisines from other cultures until I moved out on my own. This is a very refreshing dish to me from what I’m used to eating. Chermoula sounds like a wonderful sauce, thank you for teaching me what it is and made up of. Wonderful dish! Hope you have a very happy birthday, Faith!
Lazaro says
September 30, 2010 at 9:44 amFaith,
Happy Birthday, again. Truly a lovely dish. Your craft and delicate touch are all over this dish. The chicken is stuffed gloriously. I recently made a rolled stuffed chicken, it does not look as good as yours. I will not drone on with my inane comments. I’ll just repeat your words that describe the dish perfectly…
Everything ended up being delicious; the chicken was tender and juicy and full of bright, fresh flavors that paired beautifully with the earthy, nutty flavor of the bulgur pilaf.
Exactly!
nora@ffr says
September 30, 2010 at 9:54 amloving this yummy pilaf.. perfectly stuffed!!
Heavenly Housewife says
September 30, 2010 at 10:35 amI see by reading the comments its your birthday, Happy birthday daaaaaahling!!!!!!!!!!
I WANT this dinner! It is completely stunning and has all the flavours I adore. So so so sos yum!
*kisses* HH
BeadedTail says
September 30, 2010 at 11:03 amHappy Birthday Faith! This dish looks very flavorful and yummy!
Joanne says
September 30, 2010 at 11:18 amWith beautiful flavors and sauces like this, it’s no wonder that I adore Moroccan food. Gorgeous presentation! I love that the chermoula does double duty as stuffing and sauce!
Maria @ Scandi Foodie says
September 30, 2010 at 12:02 pmWow, so much flavour! Sounds delicious!
Bridgett says
September 30, 2010 at 4:08 pmoooh! Hello gorgeous! This is what would hit the spot tonight and I think I have everything I need. Thanks for the inspiration!
The Southern Cookbook says
September 30, 2010 at 8:16 pmLooks fantastic, the robust of flavors. Incredibly good.
Anh says
September 30, 2010 at 9:03 pmFaith, this dish is so awesome! I like all the ingredients here.
Magic of Spice says
September 30, 2010 at 10:55 pmStopped in to say Happy Birthday!!! But looks like I get the present…Beautiful dish, I have just recently discovered bulgur and most definitely need some inspirational uses. I hope you have had a wonderful Birthday :)
Chiara says
October 1, 2010 at 3:23 amHAppy birthday fellow Libra! Love chormula, this recipe looks like something I’m going to try very soon!
Angie's Recipes says
October 1, 2010 at 12:05 pmWho could resist such a flavourful chicken dish?! The recipe is a keeper.
nancy at good food matters says
October 1, 2010 at 12:33 pmI have never heard the term Chermoula, so I love learning something new! I enjoy Moroccan cuisine, though, and like how you personalized the recipe with parsley/mint and fresh lemon zest. Healthy, pretty, and delicious!
Pepy @Indonesia Eats says
October 1, 2010 at 1:17 pmI recalled I made chermoula for my lamb chops. It was really really good! Lovely bulgur too!
Louanne says
October 1, 2010 at 1:53 pmOooh, Faith, this looks so delicious, very comforting, and I love the flavors.
kim says
October 1, 2010 at 6:12 pmI bet the chermoula would be great just slab on a slice of bread.
Reeni says
October 1, 2010 at 6:17 pmI love the little spin you put on the chermoula to make it your own! This looks insanely delicious Faith! I saw chermoula in one of the latest food magazines – you convinced me I need to try it.
Barbara Bakes says
October 1, 2010 at 7:12 pmA very elegant presentation. This would be great to serve company.
admin says
October 2, 2010 at 10:38 amThank you all for your sweet comments and birthday wishes! They really mean a lot to me. :)
FOODESSA says
October 4, 2010 at 5:31 pmFor a while now, I had let go of buying chicken breasts and went with the more tender pieces of thighs. I shall try to make this work in my own way so that I can get to try this very uniquely twisted recipe by Faith ;o)
Beautiful presentaion pics!
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia