One-Pan Harissa Chicken

3 servings
Adapted from Dinner: Changing the Game by Melissa Clark Harissa is a Moroccan hot sauce. You can find it in shops that specialize in North African and Middle Eastern foods. It’s also available online and I’ve seen it in Trader Joe’s in the U.S. You can also make your own. I have a recipe in My Paris Kitchen. You can substitute another chile paste or sauce, such as Piri-piri sauce. Since they all vary in heat, you can dial whatever you swap it out with, to suit your tastes.This is a fairly straightforward recipe and makes a quick dinner. If you want, the chicken and potatoes can be marinated in the sauce (in step #1) and refrigerated a few hours, or overnight, until you’re ready to bake them. I used an 11 x 17-inch (27x43cm) rimmed baking sheet, which gave everything enough room to keep their distance from each other; if the chicken and potato pieces are too close, they’ll “steam” rather than roast. When you add the leeks in step #5, it’ll look like a lot, but they’ll cook down. If using Morton kosher salt, cut the amount down by about one-third.I also swapped out a few of the potatoes with sweet potatoes to see how they cook, and they came out great. So feel free to substitute sweet potatoes for some, or all, of the regular potatoes. (David Leibovitz)
2 tablespoons harissa
4 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 teaspoons kosher or flaky sea salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 chicken thighs
3 chicken legs
1 1/2 pounds roasting potatoes (such as Yukon Golds), peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch (4cm) cubes
2 leeks, washed, sliced in half lengthwise, and thinly sliced crossways
grated zest of one lemon
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
lemon or lime juice
1 cup (10-12g) a mix of fresh herbs, such as parsley, mint, dill, chervil, and tarragon, very coarsely chopped
  1. In a large bowl, mix together the harissa, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, cumin, 2 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper. Add the chicken and potatoes, then rub the thighs and legs and potatoes with the marinade. Be sure to use your hands to rub the sauce under the skin of the chicken. Let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.
  2. In a medium bowl, toss the leeks together with the lemon zest, 1/4 of the salt, and the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil.
  3. Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven.
  4. Transfer the chicken and potatoes, and any sauce in the bowl, onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange the chicken pieces so they are skin side up, and make sure the chicken parts and potatoes are in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes.
  5. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Toss the potatoes (so they can brown on the other sides of them) then strew the leeks over everything on the baking sheet. It may look like a lot, but they’ll bake down.
  6. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, another 20 to 25 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, in a small bowl, mix the yogurt with the garlic, the remaining salt and pepper, and a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice.
  7. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spoon the yogurt sauce in various places over the chicken and potatoes. Top with fresh herbs and serve.

Valz Note: This was so good, I bought Melissa Clark’s cookbook, Dinner – Changing the Game.

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