Harissa Chicken and Vegetables

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When it comes to One Pot Meals there is always one main priority. That is, the dish needs to be simple to make. The whole point of One Pot Meals is you throw a bunch of stuff into a pan, cook it, then it’s done! It also means less washing up, always a plus! So good news here – our Harissa Chicken and Vegetables is about as simple as you can get. Even better news – it tastes phenomenal!

What is Harissa made from?

Harissa is a chili pepper paste native to Northwest Africa. The main ingredients in Harissa are Garlic, Dry Chilis, Olive Oil, Acid (Either Vinegar or Lemon Juice), and a mix of spices. It is a delicious spice filled with beautiful flavors and aromas. It bears a striking fiery red color which may put some people off as it looks intimidatingly spicy. The good news is it is quite mild, so this is a perfect one pot meal for the whole family

Preparation for our Harissa Chicken and Vegetables couldn’t be easier. That’s the whole point of one pot meals remember! We’re not going to muck around with making your own Harissa Paste. You can buy some really good quality Harissa Paste from most Supermarkets. Use a bit for this recipe, then store the rest in the fridge for later use (perhaps making this recipe again!)

How to Make Harissa Chicken and Vegetables

This recipe has got to be one of the easiest dinners you can make. Which is probably a big reason why it’s on high rotation in our household. The dish requires very little prep work, and you just throw everything into a Pan and let the Oven do it’s thing. It couldn’t be any easier!

To get as much flavor out of the Chicken as possible it is important to generously season it with Harissa Paste and Salt. Bring the Chicken out and get it up to room temperature before preparing the dish. Then, give the Chicken a good coating of Harissa Paste. Just use your hands and cover it well, skin and all

Give the Chicken a good dose of Salt (especially on the skin as we want to get it as crispy as possible), and it’s ready to go!

Preparing the Vegetables is just as easy

Simply chop up those Vegetables and throw them into the bottom of the Sheet Pan. The only factor you need to be wary of when prepping the Vegetables is to ensure they’re cut at a consistent size so they will all cook at once

This doesn’t necessarily mean that all the Vegetables need to be cut to the same size. In fact, quite the opposite. Certain vegetables are going to take longer to cook all the way through in the oven than others. Any root vegetables you are using, such as Potatoes, Parsnips, Carrots, or Sweet Potatoes, will take longer to roast than lighter vegetables like Onions and Leeks

Therefore, cut the Vegetables accordingly. We’d recommend cutting the root vegetables to about half the size of the Onions and Leeks. You should get an even cook for all vegetables this way. Even if you don’t, and once the Chicken is done the Potatoes still need a bit more time, well that’s easy. Just take the other veggies out and keep roasting the Potatoes for 10 minutes more

Once you’re ready to eat, you can put everything back into the Oven for 5 minutes to re-heat it all through and you’re ready to go!

The easiest part in making the Harissa Chicken and Vegetables, throw it all into the Oven!

The preparation for this dish is also super simple. Place the Chicken Thighs on top of the Vegetables then throw it in the Oven. The beauty of this technique is the delicious Harissa flavored juices from the Chicken, along with the rendered fat will drip down into the vegetables, giving them a wonderful flavor. The Chicken Skin will come out crispy, and your vegetables bursting with flavor

Once the Chicken is cooked, we recommend removing it from the Oven and setting aside for at least 5 minutes to rest. Allowing the juices to settle which will result in a more tender Chicken. While the Chicken is resting, use a spatula to scrape up the Vegetables from the Pan and give them a turn. Put them back in the Oven for 5 minutes while the Oven is resting to crisp them up a little bit

Best Vegetables for this Dish

You can be super flexible with whatever vegetables you like for this dish. The dish requires oven roasting, so just think about the kind of vegetables you like to roast, and they’ll be perfect. For this dish we’re using a combination of Fennel, Potatoes, Leeks, Onions, and Carrots. Mainly because these are some of our favorite vegetables to roast, and they taste amazing with the Chicken and Harissa

Harissa Chicken and Vegetables Recipe

Ingredients

• 5-6 Chicken Thighs, bone in, skin on
• 3 tbsp. Harissa Paste
• 1 Fennel, sliced into segments
• 2 Red / Brown Onions, cut into segments
• 2 Leeks, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
• 2 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 Carrots, Peeled and quartered
• 4 sprigs of Thyme
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Place the Chicken Thighs into a bowl and then add the Harissa Paste and 1 tbsp. of Salt. Rub the Harissa in liberally to ensure all the Chicken is well coated. Either set aside in the refrigerator to marinade or start cooking immediately. Marinating will concentrate the Harissa flavors more into the Chicken
2. Add all the Vegetables to a large Sheet Pan or Baking Dish. The pan should be big enough to ensure all the vegetables are lying flat, and not on top of each other. Add the Olive Oil and 1 tbsp. of Salt and mix to combine well
3. Add the Thyme, then place the Harissa Marinated Chicken Thighs on top of the Vegetables and place into a pre-heated Oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes
4. Once the internal temperature of the Chicken is 160 degrees, remove from the pan and set aside to rest. While the Chicken is resting, toss the vegetables and place back in the oven for 5 minutes to finish cooking
5. Either serve family style or rustically on individual plates!
   
   

We love this dish with a delicious side of our Simple Yoghurt Sauce. The Sauce cuts through the richness of the Chicken and pairs beautifully with the Vegetables, that are now flavored with delicious Harissa

Also please note when cooking the Potatoes are sometimes a vegetables that takes a little longer to cook. The trick for an even cook is to cut them into relatively smaller pieces than the other vegetables. This way they’ll be ready at the same time as the other vegetables

For more delicious One Pot Meals such as this amazing Harissa Chicken and Vegetables dish, head over to our One Pot Dinners website

Happy Cooking!