Moroccan Turkey and Chickpea Skillet
on Mar 06, 2017, Updated Mar 29, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Every bite of this Moroccan Turkey and Chickpea Skillet is filled with savory and sweet flavors. Warm spices such as cinnamon and cumin tie everything together in this easy, gluten-free dinner!
Need an incredible salad to serve with this skillet dinner? Make this Mediterranean lentil salad!
There’s a first for everything here on Recipe Runner and today I’m sharing my first Moroccan inspired meal. This Moroccan Turkey and Chickpea Skillet has some serious flavor and is my idea of healthy comfort food!
If you’ve never had Moroccan food you’re in for a treat! The flavors are unlike any you’ve probably had before. Savory, a little sweet and full of warm spices such as cinnamon, cumin and coriander.
You might be thinking adding cinnamon to a savory recipe is weird, but trust me on this one, it totally works. The cinnamon flavor isn’t overly pronounced like when you bite into a snickerdoodle cookie, but rather a subtle flavor that is just noticeable enough to let you know it’s there. When it’s paired with the earthy cumin, the slight heat from the cayenne and the fresh burst of lemon, it’s a truly unique and delicious flavor pairing.
This skillet dinner is extremely hearty as any comfort meal should be. Between the ground turkey, chickpeas, red bell pepper, onions and golden raisins, you won’t leave the table hungry! Like the title suggests, the entire meal is made in one skillet, making cleanup a breeze. I loathe doing the dishes so any recipe that can be made in one pan is a winning recipe for me!
The Moroccan Turkey and Chickpea Skillet can be served in a bowl topped with cilantro and a side of naan bread for dipping or you could serve it over couscous or rice. I went with the naan because, 1) I love a warm piece of naan and 2) I love when it gets a little soggy from sopping up all the delicious sauce. It’s probably my favorite part.
If you’re looking for a new cuisine to try I highly recommend going with Moroccan food. The flavors are ones that should appeal to most people, this particular recipe isn’t spicy and it’s all made in one skillet which everyone can agree, is always a good thing!
- Mexican Ground Beef and Potato Skillet
- One Pot Cheesy Mexican Lentils, Black Beans and Rice
- Creamy Chicken and Orzo
- Easy Skillet Chicken Cacciatore
- Skillet Chicken Fajitas
Moroccan Turkey and Chickpea Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey breast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced into half moons
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- zest of a lemon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 15 ounces chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- Juice of half of a lemon
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring and crumbling with a spoon. When the turkey is mostly cooked add in the onion, carrot and red bell pepper sautéing for a couple minutes. Add in the lemon zest, spices, salt and pepper and continue to sauté until the vegetables soften and the turkey is cooked through.
- Stir in the tomato paste until it’s incorporated into the mixture. Stir in the chicken broth, chickpeas and golden raisins and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until the mixture thickens.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Serve as is or with warm pieces of naan, couscous or rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious. I halved the recipe (live alone). Wondering how this freezes?
This is a great recipe to freeze!
Awesome recipe! The flavors are great. Thank you!
so flavorful!
I made this tonight. I did add one chopped up clove of garlic and it was tasty. To make it creamier (if some prefer it this way), I added 1 tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt. It was tasty!! Thank you!!