Lemon Harissa Chicken – Sweet smoky red harissa chicken with just the right spice for a simple quick easy & delicious weeknight chicken dinner!
Recipes with harissa are a great way to add spice and flavor to your weekday meals!
What is harissa you ask?
Harissa paste is a zesty and aromatic chile paste that’s considered a staple in North African and Middle Eastern cooking. There are a few variations out there but recipes with harissa all usually include smoked hot chile peppers, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and spices like cumin, coriander and caraway.
You can usually find Harissa as a paste in a jar, can, or tube in the international aisle or condiment aisle of your grocery store. If you’re feeling particularly energetic you can also make it yourself, but ain’t nobody got time for that around here.✌
So the first ingredient you’re gonna need for harissa recipes is… some Harissa. Another very important point for me to go over is that you can usually purchase it in different heat levels: spicy or mild. You know where you and your crew live, so you do you. Mild or spicy, either is delish!✨
We like it hot over at the Taste And See kitchen so I went with the spicy version. It was spicy but not too hot. Here’s how I know: the B man gets hiccups when food is too spicy. I’m happy to report he was completely hiccup-free during this meal. Check, it passed the “B not too spicy” test.✅
How to make Harissa Chicken:
The recipe is pretty easy. You cut up your chicken breast just like you would if you were going to make kebabs, and drop it in a gallon size ziploc bag.
Then mix up your marinade… a little garlic, chopped rosemary, Harissa paste, lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper…combine it with the chicken in the ziploc bag and let it hang out and get happy in the fridge for at least 3 hours – 6 is even better.
Then add your chicken and marinade to a medium heat pan and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the chicken temps at 165.
Let me just take a quick moment to urge you to purchase a meat thermometer. There is no way for you to know if your chicken is fully cooked unless you temp it! And if you’re over-cooking it to make sure it’s fully cooked, then you’re never gonna enjoy the succulent, tender chicken you should be.
The one I use is amazing and it’s relatively inexpensive – $25 (check it out here in my shop). It’s a small price to pay to guarantee you never experience food poisoning. That’s my public service announcement for the month. Soap box is put away under the bed. I promise.
Ahem, back to the recipe: cut up your fresh veggies and slide them into the oven.♨
Now plate up over your favorite rice, finish with a little Greek yogurt or sour cream!
This quick, flavorful, easy harissa recipe will totally wow you. It’s a really fun way to spice up an average weeknight meal. Plus, it will allow you lots of time to kick back, relax, and pin all of your favorite photos of it! Enjoy my friend!
Lemon Harissa Chicken
Lemon Harissa Chicken - Amazing North African chicken with red harissa, smoked hot chile peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, coriander, caraway, & lemon.
Ingredients
For The Chicken And Marinade
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons spicy Harissa
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- Parsley, finely chopped for garnish
- Sliced green and black olives for garnish, (optional)
- Capers for garnish, (optional)
For The Roasted Vegetables:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 red pepper
- 1 red onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- For the marinade, combine olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, rosemary, paprika, harissa, salt and pepper in a ziploc bag. Seal and mix the ingredients together.
- Add the cubed chicken. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 6 hours.
- Cut up the peppers and onions. Mix in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and paprika and mix together. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 18 minutes.
- While the veggies are roasting, pour the chicken and marinade into a sauce pan and cook on medium until chicken temperature is 165 degrees, about 8-10 minutes.
- Layer the roasted veggies over jasmine rice, then add the chicken and sauce. Finally add a dollop of Greek yogurt over the chicken, and garnish with parsley, sliced olives or capers.
Notes
The nutrition calculations in this recipe do not include rice.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
10 ouncesAmount Per Serving Calories 349Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 97mgSodium 1288mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 3gSugar 3gProtein 36g
Becca says
Would it be ok to marinate it for 24 hours?
holly says
Yes, Becca! It will have tons of flavor!
Kamil says
Do you think it would turn out ok if I marinated the onions and peppers along with the chicken and tossed it all in the pan together? I like the idea of the veggies being equally saucy.
holly says
Hi Kamil, I completely understand – I’m a sauce lover myself. Maybe just toss the veggies in with the chicken when it’s finished marinating or for 15-20 minutes. If the veggies are in there the whole time the acid could almost cook them. If you don’t mind that then you could try and marinate them the whole time. Be sure to shake the excess sauce off the chicken and veggies before you cook them so it doesn’t burn on the pan. Good luck!
Lena says
I haven’t made this yet, but I am DEFINITELY making this for my son’s birthday tomorrow! (I also bought Harissa for the first time in my life just to make this). But can I use Harissa instead of Harissa paste?
holly says
Hi Lena, I think you and your son are going to really enjoy this dish! You can use Harissa for this recipe – it will work great! Happy Birthday to your son and good eats to both of you!
valb says
The chicken was fabulous. I prepared it with homemade harissa and followed the recipe exactly. The suggestion about the temperature is spot on. Thanks!
holly says
That’s so great to hear! This is one of our favorite chicken recipes so I love to hear others enjoy it as much as we do! Thank you!
Barbara A. Poole says
I made this today and marinated the chicken a little over 6 hours. The flavor was excellent and the meat was tender! The roasted onion and peppers were perfect. I served it with couscous and Greek yogurt with a splash of lemon juice. Thank you for this recipe. It’s a keeper.
holly says
Thanks so much, Barbara! I appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback! Your presentation sounds delicious! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Anelda says
Absolutely brilliant recipe!!! so flavourful and super easy to make. Did improvised a bit and make a bit extra sauce as the marinade did not give me enough sauciness, and served it with quinoa instead of rice.
holly says
Thanks so much, Anelda! I imagine that quinoa is delicious with these flavor. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Susan says
This sounds delicious. Do you think that I could make this with cubes of pork shoulder too?
holly says
Thank you, Susan! I think that would be delicious. Your cook time would vary some but I think it could be nice.
Di Newman says
This was super easy and so flavorful! Marinated for six hours and served with coconut ginger rice and naan bread (love my carbs…Lol). Great recipe and hubby really enjoyed it too!
holly says
I love hearing that – thanks so much! Coconut ginger rice and naan sound like amazing additions to this dish!😄 (I love my carbs as well!)
Billy says
I love seeing harissa used in delicious recipes like this one! It is such a great ingredient and adds such great flavor. I can’t wait to make this at home! Thank you for sharing!
Billy says
Wanted to come back again and say I made my own harissa at home – it is so easy! You should do the same! You can save a bunch of money and its nice to have a good stock ready in the fridge for whenever you need it!
holly says
Thanks for the recommendation, Billy!
holly says
Thanks, Billy! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Billy says
I love this recipe, it is so delicious! You mentioned you usually buy your harissa at the store – have you ever made it at home? Thanks for sharing!
holly says
Hey Billy, thanks so much! This recipe is a popular one for us. I’ve never made harissa at home. Have you?
Gretchen says
Because of you, Herman got a meat thermometer for Christmas!!! Great stocking stuffer:)
Jenna says
I got a bit confused with the ingredients list and added the yogurt to the marinade. Hopefully this is still good!
holly says
I’m sure it’s delicious either way, Jenna! I usually use the Greek yogurt as a topping but it’s actually a good marinade as well. Dairy-based marinades, like buttermilk or yogurt, are great for tenderizing chicken. Hope it was tasty and thanks for stopping by!
karrie@tasty ever after says
I’m all about harissa and olives and hot stuff! Looks absolutely delicious and I’ve saved it to try it for dinner soon. I hear you girl about the meat thermometer because food poisoning sucks so bad!
holly says
Thanks Karrie! If you like harissa you’re gonna love this dish! Back in the day before I owned a meat thermometer I would just over cook my chicken because I never knew if it was thoroughly cooked. Now I’m enjoying moist, tender, perfectly cooked chicken one meal at a time. 🙂
Michelle Simon says
Totally adding this to the menu next week! Looks amazing and a great opportunity to test drive my new juicer from Taste and See!
holly says
Thanks Michelle! It’s such a yummy dish…the spicy heat from the harissa is perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the peppers and the coolness of the yogurt. And that juicer is the bomb!
Dean @ Globe Scoffers says
This looks delicious, hotter the better for me! What great flavour combinations you have used. Thanks for sharing.
holly says
Thanks Dean! We are like-minded with our heat preference!?