Harissa Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes- just 15 minutes of hands-on time, before baking on a sheet pan the oven. Smoky, earthy, and fragrantly seasoned with North African Spices. Video included.
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Here’s a quick and flavorful meal that will fill your home with deliciousness – Harissa Chicken. It can be easily made vegan by substituting tofu (or even fish!) for the chicken, which, seriously is just as good, if not better. The best thing is, it only takes 15 minutes of prep before going into the oven to bake. When it comes out, mouths will water!!! Give it a try, I think you will like it.
Earthy, smoky and just a little bit spicy, the chicken pairs deliciously well with the roasted sweet potatoes. Of course, you can add other veggies to this as well – carrots, parsnips, red bell pepper – all would work nicely.
Harissa Chicken | 60-second video
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What is Harissa?
Hailing from North Africa, harissa is a spicy chili paste, often used as a marinade or condiment for meats and vegetables. It varies greatly from region to region across Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, but most variations include chilies, earthy spices and onion and garlic blended up into a flavorful hot paste that can be used in a multitude of ways- as a marinade or chicken or other meats, or a flavorful base for curries, soups and stews.
Mildly spicy, earthy and smoky, harissa paste adds flavor to just about anything- and this version of quick harissa marinade is easy and simple — just stir it up in a bowl, no blender or food processor required!
How to make Harissa Chicken
- Make the Harissa Paste.
- Marinate the chicken.
- Place on a sheet pan and bake with the veggies.
- Serve!
Just place everything on a sheet pan and bake.
Easy, peasy!
Clean-up is simple too!
When your Harissa Chicken comes out it will be oh so flavorful!
There is an optional Green Harissa Yogurt sauce you can add to this- it’s not necessary, I don’t always make it, especially if in a hurry, but if making for a special occasion or when entertaining, I’ll whip up a small batch to serve alongside.
Leftovers make for a tasty lunch.
Give this quick Harissa Chicken with Sweet Potatoes a try this week!
More recipes you may like:
- How to Make Authentic Harissa Paste in Two Easy Ways!
- Sheet-Pan Chicken with Crispy Potatoes, Lemon and Thyme
- 25 Flavorful Sheet Pan Recipes
- Moroccan Eggs with Harissa Yogurt
- Smoky Harissa Red Pepper Dip
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries with harissa!
- Green Harissa Sauce
Harissa Chicken Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Main, Chicken,
- Method: Roasted, Baked
- Cuisine: North African
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Ingredients
Harissa Chicken
- 2 lbs sweet potatoes (about 2 medium-sized) – diced into 1/2 inch cubes, unpeeled.
- 1 large red onion- sliced into 1/2 inch wedges
- 4 chicken thighs, skin on, bone-in (or substitute 1 lb boneless thighs or chicken breasts)
Garnish: Cilantro sprigs
Harissa Marinade:
- 2 garlic cloves- finely minced or crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder ( optional, or sub chili flakes )
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds ( optional, but good)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Quick Green Harissa Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Stir marinade ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Dice the sweet potatoes into ½-¾ inch cubes and place in a medium bowl with half the marinade and toss to coat. Place them in a single layer on one side of a parchment lined sheet pan.
- Cut the onion, and place next to the sweet potatoes, drizzle with a little oil if you want (or not), saving room for the chicken.
- Pat the chicken dry, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and place in the same medium bowl and add the remaining marinade, coating all sides well.
- Line the chicken up next to the onions. If using very small sheet pans, you may need to use two. Do not overlap!
- Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake 30 minutes but check after 20, rotating the pan if necessary. If using boneless thighs or breasts- they will cook faster ( feel free to remove if potatoes need more time)
- While baking, make Green Harissa Sauce, blending all the ingredients in the blender.
- Double-check that the chicken is cooked through before serving, and for extra crispy skin, broil for a few minutes at the end.
- Divide the roasted sweet potatoes among 4 bowls and top with the chicken. Garnish with cilantro and serve with the Green Harissa Yogurt Sauce.
Notes
If using boneless, skinless chicken thigh or breast, it will most likely cook faster, so make sure to check after 20 minutes. If done, take off the sheet pan, and let the sweet potatoes continue cooking until fork tender.
For vegans, sub a tofu filet about 1 inch thick.
If substituting with fish, check after 10-12 minutes, depending on how thick the cut.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 thigh with 1 cup sweet potatoes
- Calories: 464
- Sugar: 5.5 g
- Sodium: 722.7 mg
- Fat: 33.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.9 g
- Fiber: 3.6 g
- Protein: 21.2 g
- Cholesterol: 111.3 mg
So simple to make and full of flavor! I made it with tofu, and my son and I loved it and will definitely make again soon! A bonus is the easy clean up afterwards. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks so much Karen- appreciate this!
Taste was spectacular. Didn’t really need to drizzle oil on the onions as the oil from the paste and the chicken would have been enough.
Used the broiler at the last few min as suggested and the skin was nice and crispy on the chicken.
THanks so much Marilyn!
Delicious! My whole family loves it. We don’t eat dairy, so I made the yogurt sauce with coconut yogurt. It was delicious.
Oh perfect! Glad it worked with the vegan yogurt. Thanks, and I appreciate you and your comments. 🙂
HOLY CRAP this is good. Made it tonight, followed the directions exactly (except I peeled the sweet potatoes). I will definitely make it again. Only change will be less salt in the marinade, and maybe sour cream instead of yogurt for the sauce. But seriously, this is one of the best recipes I can remember making, and I cook a lot. Mmmmm…
So happy you liked it!!!
This was the first recipe I’ve tried from your site in a while (I’ve made your delicious pot pie with spring vegetables a few times) and it turned out great! Admittedly I did make a couple changes. Husband doesn’t like sweet potatoes so I subbed in cauliflower/broccoli mix. Also threw some green olives on the pan. We did a double batch, using tofu on one pan and chicken on the other. Absolutely delicious, and leftovers were quite good as well. We did make the quick yogurt sauce, worth the trouble. Served with rice, lemon wedges, and fresh cilantro. Thanks for a keeper!!
Thanks Patricia!
This was quick and perfect for a weeknight dinner. Simple ingredients yet super tasty. I’m a big fan of sauces so the green harissa was a great touch. Thank you for another delicious dinner idea. Keep ’em coming!
I love this recipe. I also like to switch it up with the veggies – any root vegetable seems to go really well, such as beets, carrots and parsnips. I also tend to double the yogurt sauce so I have some the next day with my leftovers. Wonderful recipe, thank you!
Question: if I have harissa paste already, how can I sub that that in to your marinade? And is there an alternative base for the marinade other than oil?
Hi Rebecca, yes you can sub, but I’m not sure how salty or spicy your particular harissa is… so there lies the challenge, how much to add and how to adjust. The base is oil so the chicken and sweet potatoes get crispy and not soggy. I would just try mixing a batch up, taste the marinade, and adjust it to your taste before using?
Delicious, flavorful, but not overly spicy. I made it with swai fillets and everyone, including my 18 month old grandson loved it! Yogurt sauce was a great accompaniment.
Great favor profile, not too spicy. Perfect for my household where no one Settles down for dinner at the same time. I just got it ready in a hotel pan and when everyone settled down popped it in the oven. Loved the spicy favor of the sweet potatoes.
Obsessed with this recipe. I’ve made it many times and have used both the marinade and green sauce as a salad dressing too. It’s also awesome with fish such as tilapia and we love the marinade on mushrooms too! Thank you. 🙂
Thanks for sharing Dez, great to hear!
Super delicious! I will definitely make this again!
That dinner was a hit with my family and I was happy with almost no dishes.
It’s a keeper.
Used sweet potatoes and not yams, they held up perfectly, and used green onions and parsley instead of cilantro in the yoghurt dip. (I can t eat cilantro, that’s why I changed it).
Thank you Sylvia.
Glad you enjoyed and adapted this to your taste!
Hi Sylvia,
As usual thanks for this wonderful recipe, it’s delicious! We loved it and what’s even better is that it is so easy!
You are my inspiration in the kitchen!
Best Wishes, Annette
Awwwww, thanks Annette! Appreciate this so much and so happy you enjoyed it. Yes, super easy!!!
This recipe is wonderful. It got the thumbs up from both my hubby and I. He liked the recipe so much, he asked me to save it and make it again. Thank you!
Yay!!! I’m so glad he liked it. Always the best feeling isn’t it??
Made this last night for dinner and it was AWESOME. The seasoning on the potatoes and the chicken was a delicious, warm, smoky heat that was not at all overpowering. I did make the green yogurt sauce and it complimented the warm spices with its creamy cool flavor. This recipe is a total keeper and will be going into my normal rotation. Thanks SO MUCH for posting.
Yay Melanie, so happy you enjoyed it….one of my favorites too!
Hey there, not sure if you are connected to this site but I just noticed this person has your same recipe:
http://edibleportland.com/sheet-pan-harissa-chicken-and-sweet-potatoes/
Yes, I work with them!
This was so simple and fantastic! We have loved so many of your recipes so far 🙂
thanks Amy, glad you are enjoying!
Love the pictures. This recipe looks delicious. Can’t wait to try making it at home. I love harissa and have been trying to include it in more recipes. Definitely getting these ingredients next time I head to the store! Thanks!
Another winner, winner chicken dinner, eagerly devoured by paleos and picky ‘everything’ eaters alike. Thanks, Sylvia, you make me look like a clean cooking star!
Colleen
Loved this with tofu! The green sauce is a must. The sweet potatoes were heavenly–had almost a soufflé texture. Had the leftover potatoes and onions with green sauce for breakfast with a fried egg. Can’t wait to make it again. So easy, healthy, and delicious.
Delicious! Flavors were amazing. It was simple and fast with minimal cleanup!
Awesome Stephanie, thanks for the comment! Hope you are well!!!
This was absolutely delicious and went together in a snap. I made exactly as written and wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you for an amazing, easy dinner!!!
Delicious! Made this last night with chicken thighs and we loved it. Next time I will double the Harissa marinade.
Ahhh, does this look good or what!? So bold and packed with flavor- and so simple to make! Pinned!