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Honey Harissa Chicken with rice

Honey Harissa Chicken

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
marinate: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Author: Sandy / Reluctant Entertainer
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: middle Eastern

Ingredients

  • ½ yellow onion, grated
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp harissa chili paste, or substitute 1 Tbsp for tomato paste for less spice
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 2 large chicken breasts, about 1-1/25 lb cut into 1’’ thick pieces

Harissa Honey Sauce:

  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1 ½ Tbsp harissa
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • Salt to taste

Serve with:

  • Grilled zucchini
  • Marinated olives
  • Fresh herbs like mint, cilantro, and basil

Instructions

Make the Marinade:

  • Grate or blend the onion. Optional: Strain the onion in cheesecloth or use a fine mesh sieve to separate the fibers from the juices; use your hands to squeeze out excess moisture.
  • Add the juice to a bowl along with the olive oil, harissa, honey, and salt. Add meat to a bag and pour the marinade over top. Let sit at least 45 minutes, preferably overnight or up to 3 days. Before cooking, let chicken sit out 15 minutes or so to come closer to room temperature.

Make the Harissa Honey Sauce:

  • Combine the honey, harissa, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt to taste in a bowl, refrigerate until ready to serve.

There are a few ways to cook the chicken:

  • Broil on high on a greased, foil-lined baking sheet (with or without a greased rack on top) for 3-4 minutes per side. The chicken should be lightly charred and caramelized after cooking. If you find the chicken is darkening too quickly, move the sheet tray down a rack.
  • Arrange chicken onto skewers and cook on a grill set to medium-high—turning 2-3 times as it cooks, about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the grill.
  • Preheat a large skillet to medium-high and add 1-2 Tbsp of neutral oil. Once hot, add the chicken and cook until caramelized and lightly charred—8-10 minutes.

Serve the chicken:

  • Serve the chicken hot with white rice, grilled and fresh vegetables, and marinated olives, or serve with pita bread, creamy yogurt garlic sauce, fresh herbs, and a tomato cucumber salad. The chicken is also delicious served cold, mixed into a salad with olives, feta, herbs, crunchy vegetables and a balsamic vinaigrette.

Notes

NOTES: Straining the onion and using only the juice makes for a better marinade texture in my opinion, but the onion can be grated or blended and left unstrained if desired.
The easiest place for me to get harissa is at Trader Joe's (but it can be found online as well).
Double this recipe to have leftovers throughout the week! It's delicious eaten cold or warm!