Harissa Roasted Chicken & Veggies

I’m all about trying new things. I like going to new exhibits, I love trying new activities (zip lining in the mountains? Let me cry a little bit first but then try it), and I especially love trying new foods.

I’ve eaten at pretty much every restaurant that Oklahoma City has to offer, except the Ethiopian restaurants. I need to put those on my list. I love Greek, Italian, Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, and Korean food. One of my most favorite things, though, is trying new stuff in the kitchen.

Sometimes it doesn’t go so well, but I feel like it’s well worth the risk. Trader Joe’s really helps me break out of my shell and try new things, because there is always new things to be trying. I found a jar of harissa there last year, and bought it without having a clue of what to do with it.

I researched the jar a bit and found it is a really spicy, zippy red pepper paste. It’s usually made with roasted red peppers, hot chili peppers, spices, herbs and garlic. It’s usually used in Moroccan, Tunisian and Libyan dishes.

I found out the paste goes really well with chicken, so I flew with that. I had some thighs to roast in the freezer, and scrounged up the last of my carrots and onion. I can’t take full credit for this recipe, though, because I found a similiar one on the web. I tweaked it to my liking and had it for dinner when my mom came to town last year.

It was so good, I decided to make it again. That’s really rare in my house. I’m usually cooking new meals so I can blog about them, so they really have to taste good for me to try them again. We only have a few standbys in our rotation, much to Rob’s displeasure I’m sure. If he had it his way, he’d eat dino-shaped chicken nuggets every night.

Don’t tell on me.

This meal is super low carb, but those delicious little chickpeas fill the void. I would probably eat them straight out of the can if I could. The sweet onion and carrots tone down the super hot heat of the harissa, but it still packs a punch. Don’t freak out! Harissa is not for the faint of heart, but I definitely think you should try it. YOLO.

Is YOLO even still a thing? Maybe I shouldn’t use the term any more.

So, harissa chicken. It’s really the bomb. Shoot. That’s probably not in vogue to say anymore either, is it?

Step-By-Step Instructions

In a large bowl, stir together harissa, yogurt, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.

In another bowl, stir together carrots, chickpeas and onion. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Pour veggies into a large baking dish and top with chicken. Roast, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until chicken is lightly charred.