Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken

Sheet pan dinners are my favorite! Just like slow cooker recipes, I seek out these types of meal ideas. I love any recipe that reduces the number of dishes that must be cleaned post-meal. I tried this Half Baked Harvest recipe on Monday for the first time. The flavors were amazing – I highly recommend you try it soon! 

Admittedly, before making this meal I had no clue what harissa seasoning was. In fact, I almost did not make the recipe because it required me to buy another new spice at the grocery store. (If you saw my spice cabinet, you would appreciate why I wanted to avoid another spice jar!). I even looked up if I could make the seasoning from a couple of the numerous spices I already own. Here’s the recipe I found. With 13 ingredients, I immediately decided it wasn’t worth it and for $1.96, I was able to order a bottle from Amazon. Done.  

What is harissa? Harissa is a chili paste or spice blend mix used liberally in Tunisia, other North African countries and the Middle East to flavor all kinds of foods and dishes such as soups, stews, tagines, marinades, hummus, couscous, vegetables, dips etc. The recipe varies by region and local taste but usually contains a common thread of dried red chilies, paprika, garlic, cumin and coriander. And apparently, I am one of the few people out there that had no clue what harissa seasoning was. In my research, I found an article entitled “Harissa is SO Hot Right Now” published in 2014. What rock was I apparently living under in 2014? Oh yeah, I had twin one-year-olds then.   

So whether it was hot in 2014 or, like me, you are just trying it for the first time 6 years later, I encourage you to buy it and use it to make Half Baked Harvest’s Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken for dinner. A couple of notes about the recipe. I used chicken thighs to make the dish, but the original recipe says thighs or breasts. If you use breasts, you will need to increase your cooking time. If don’t like olives, do not avoid this recipe (ahem Mallory and Chris). The olives are only added as a garnish at the end, not baked with the chicken itself. Just don’t use them if that’s your preference. I had both fresh mint and cilantro in my fridge so I added both as a topping as the final step, but either or neither would be just fine. And, while I had plain Greek yogurt to add to this recipe, I completely forgot to use it. So, while I think it would have added some creaminess to the meal, do not make an extra trip to the grocery store for the yogurt. The recipe is still delicious without it.  

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup olive oil plus, more for drizzling
• 2 lemons, juice and zest from one lemon and one lemon sliced
• 2 tablespoons Harissa seasoning
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 sweet onion, sliced (Note: I only used about ¾ of the onion)
• 1 can (14 ounces) chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1/3 cup green olives, smashed
• plain Greek yogurt and fresh mint or cilantro, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the chicken, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon juice, lemon zest, harissa seasoning, honey, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Toss well to evenly coat the chicken. Add the sweet potatoes, onions, and chickpeas, and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, along with another pinch of salt and pepper. Arrange everything in an even layer. Add the lemon slices and then transfer to the oven. Roast for 45+ minutes, tossing halfway through cooking until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are golden. (Note: My cooking time was closer to 50 minutes).

3. Meanwhile, combine the feta, olives, and a drizzle of olive oil in a bowl. (Note: Instead of combining in a bowl, I would just recommend sprinkling feta and olives on each serving to taste.)

4. To serve, top the chicken with the feta, olives, and yogurt. Sprinkle with mint or cilantro. Enjoy! 

And now that I own my Amazon bottle of Harissa seasoning and because I loved the flavors in this recipe so much, I decided I needed to look up a couple more recipes that call for Harissa seasoning. Here are some recipes and/or links that looked promising:

• Smitten Kitchen’s Carrot Salad with Harissa, Feta and Mint
• Another one from Half Baked Harvest: Lamb Gyros with Harissa Tzatziki
• 13 Harissa Recipes (aka What we Want to Eat with Everything)
• Epicurious’ 11 Ways to Use Harissa

Please let us know if try Half Baked Harvest’s Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken or another harissa recipe. We would love to know what you think.

Recipe credit:

https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/sheet-pan-harissa-chicken-with-chickpeas-and-sweet-potatoes/