Weeknight Cooking

Lemon Harissa Chicken

Name: Lemon Harissa Chicken
Prep time: 3 h 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 4 garlic cloves, minced; Juice of 1 lemon; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary; 1 teaspoon paprika; 2 tablespoons harissa; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper; 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes; 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt; 1 tablespoon Flat leaf parsley, finely chopped for garnish; 1 tablespoon Green and black olives, sliced for garnish (optional); 1 tablespoon Capers, for garnish (optional); 1 yellow pepper; 1 red pepper; 1 red onion; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1 teaspoon paprika

by: Holly

March 8, 2016

4.7

6 Ratings

Photo by James Ransom

Prep time 3 hours 20 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Serves 6

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Author Notes

Amazing Moroccan chicken with red harissa. Perfectly balanced with Greek yogurt sauce. —Holly

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

For the chicken and marinade:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons harissa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
³/₄ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Flat leaf parsley, finely chopped for garnish
1 tablespoon Green and black olives, sliced for garnish (optional)
1 tablespoon Capers, for garnish (optional)

Directions

For the marinade, combine olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, rosemary, paprika, harissa, salt, and pepper in a zip-top 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. Toss in olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika and mix together. Bake in a 400° F oven for 18 minutes.
While the vegetables are roasting, pour the chicken and marinade into a sauce pan and cook on medium until chicken temperature is 165° F, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Layer the roasted vegetables 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, and capers, if desired.

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12 Reviews

NXL March 19, 2023

I've made this a few times and just love it! Used half sharp paprika to give it a little more oomph, but otherwise followed the recipe. The brininess of the capers and olives make it!

Pamela T. April 24, 2020

I made this tonight and it was a big hit! We like things on the spicier side, so I added more harissa. Also I made tzatziki instead of using plain Greek yogurt.

Shannon July 2, 2016

So is the 3/4 cup of yogurt part of the marinade, or just the dollop added at the end?

Holly July 3, 2016

Hi Shannon, the yogurt is just for "dolloping" on top when serving the dish... there is none in the marinade. Thanks for asking this question to clarify - hope you enjoy it!

Stephanie H. April 25, 2016

Made this for dinner tonight. I wasn't a huge fan of the curdled texture of the sauce, but the flavor was great! I think next time I'd use the marinade to make chicken kebabs.

Carrie W. April 30, 2016

Hi Stephanie, I learned from cooking a lot of Indian food that its best to let the yogurt come to room temperature before mixing it in to a sauce, or else it curdles. I made this last night and did that and it prevented any curdling. I added extra harissa too, and it was delicious!

Stephanie H. May 1, 2016

That makes sense. Thanks!

Holly May 1, 2016

Hi Stephanie, glad you tried this dish! You are right the flavors are fantastic for grilling sans yogurt :) . I just did a cedar plank harissa smoked salmon that was wonderful, and will definitely be firing up harissa kebabs now that grilling season is upon us. Thanks for sharing!

Kaite April 21, 2016

Is the harissa in paste form? I have harissa spice blend.

Holly April 21, 2016

Hi Kaite, in this recipe we used Mina Harissa Sauce from Casablanca Foods.

Brussels S. April 21, 2016

Oh I can't wait to make this. What a great idea. Simple but delicious.