Harissa chicken thighs is a spicy, flavorful chicken dish with a complex flavor, made using harissa chile paste. It is versatile, and you can easily control the heat level so all your family members can enjoy it!
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❤️ Why you'll love it
Harissa chicken is one of my favorite ways to change the taste of chicken and keep things exciting. It has rich, bold, and complex flavors and can be as spicy as you want it.
This flavorful, delicious recipe is great for an easy dinner with a side of roasted veggies and is also great for meal prep. It keeps well in the fridge or freezer, and you can use the leftovers in a soup, salad, or stir-fry.
💭 What is Harissa?
Harissa is a hot paste made from roasted peppers, tomatoes, spices, and garlic cloves, used in North African and Middle Eastern cooking. The bold spices in a Harissa spice blend include coriander seeds, hot chile peppers, cumin, and caraway seeds.
You can use this spicy north African chili paste in different ways to liven up your dishes, and it is an excellent marinade for your chicken, fish, lamb, or steak dishes. It goes especially well with dark meat!
🧾 Ingredients Used
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You only need a handful of ingredients for this easy harissa chicken recipe.
- Chicken thighs: I use skinless chicken thighs for this recipe, but you can use chicken breasts or any chicken part.
- Spices: Cumin, smoked paprika, and harissa powder. These spices form a spicy harissa paste, which is the main ingredient that gives this harissa chicken thighs its wonderful flavor. You can get harissa powder from Amazon or Mediterranean grocery stores, but my homemade version is so easy!
- Olive oil: I use olive oil to turn my harissa powder into a paste for the marinade. You can use your preferred cooking oil instead.
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice will allow the chicken to loosen up further to absorb the Harissa paste's juices. You can use lemon zest if you prefer.
🔪 How To Make This Easy Recipe
- Mix the oil, harissa powder, lemon juice, and other spices in a small bowl to form a thick paste.
- Rub the paste all over the chicken thighs or put the paste and chicken into a large bowl or sealable bag. Shake or roll it around so the chicken is covered with it.
- Marinate for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Line a baking tray or rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and arrange the chicken on it in a single layer.
- Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, and then check for doneness with a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should read at least 165F.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for five minutes before serving.
🥫 Storing and Reheating
To store leftover Harissa chicken, put it in an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator. You can keep it in the fridge for about four to five days.
If you decide to freeze the spicy chicken thighs to store them longer, it's best to freeze them in an airtight container or a freezer bag. This way, you can preserve it for up to three months.
To defrost the chicken, keep it in the fridge overnight to naturally defrost it. Then, let it come to room temperature and reheat it either in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.
💭 Tips and Variations
- Harissa is made from hot chili peppers, but you can control the spice level by using as much or as few peppers as possible in your Harissa marinade.
- Marinate the chicken for three to six hours or longer if you have the time. The longer you marinate, the tastier the chicken turns out.
- Harissa paste keeps well in the freezer for a few months, so you can always make a big batch so you have it handy.
- Ensure to allow the chicken to rest for five minutes before cutting into it after baking. This will allow it to reabsorb all the juices that might have run out.
🍽️ What can I eat this recipe with?
This delicious Harissa chicken recipe is versatile and goes wonderfully well with almost any side dish you choose.
You can also shred the chicken thighs into a vegetable salad. Mix it in some cherry tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers, olive oil, and salt and pepper. It's finger-licking good!
You can enjoy this easy harissa recipe with white rice or brown rice, but I like to eat mine with cauliflower rice on a low carb diet.
👩🍳 Frequently asked questions
What does Harissa go with?
Harissa is perfect for your steak, lamb, chicken, or fish dishes. You can even use it to marinate a whole chicken, and it will also work as a marinade for your grilled dishes.
How hot is harissa sauce?
Harissa is a hot chili sauce, so you will definitely feel the heat! If you can't handle spicy food very well, you can use a little less harissa paste in the marinade.
Harissa can have different degrees of heat; it depends on how you make it. If you use store-bought Harissa, it'll depend on the brand you buy. If you're unsure about the heat level in yours, try adding a little bit of the flavorful sauce to your meal and taste it before adding more.
📚 Related Recipes
Check out these other delicious chicken recipes!
📖 Recipe
Harissa Chicken (Spicy North African Chicken)
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken thighs
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon harissa powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Mix the oil, harissa powder, lemon juice, and other spices in a small bowl to form a thick paste.
- Rub the paste all over the chicken thighs or put the paste and chicken into a large bowl or sealable bag.
- Shake or roll it around so the chicken is covered with it.
- Marinate for an hour or more (if you have the time).
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Line a baking tray or rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and arrange the chicken on it in a single layer.
- Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes and then check for doneness with a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should read at least 165F.
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Harissa is made from hot chili peppers, but you can control the spice level by using as much or as few peppers as possible in your Harissa marinade.
- Marinate the chicken for two to four hours or longer if you have the time. The longer you marinate, the tastier the chicken turns out.
- Harissa paste keeps well in the freezer for a few months, so you can always make a big batch so you have it handy.
- Ensure to allow the chicken to rest for five minutes before cutting into it after baking. This will allow it to reabsorb all the juices that might have run out.
Nutrition
Tayo Oredola is the founder of Low Carb Africa, where she shares healthy, low carb dishes with global flavors. She is passionate about teaching people how to cook drool-worthy dishes while losing weight and living their best lives. Tayo’s recipes have been featured on MSN, Women’s Health, Parade, Yahoo News, Pure Wow, Essence, and other online publications.
I made this recipe yesterday, January 15, 2024, and followed the instructions, exactly as written. The results: "Awesome"! The smell of the spices were very fragrant and created a nice (warm) ambiance in my kitchen. It was a nice feeling of good homemade cooking. I highly recommend this recipe!!! Thank you, Tayo, for your recipes. Please keep doing what you are doing.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Mary-Lou!
Tried it and loved it! I buy harissa paste in tubes and am a bit addicted! Thank you for the lovely website!
You're welcome, Anna!
I have the paste in a tube, too. How much of it did you use in this recipe?
You can start with 2 tablespoons and add more if you need to.