This honey harissa chicken is an easy sheet-pan-dinner with lean protein and a sweet and spicy harissa sauce.
If you like quick chicken recipes, you will also enjoy our lemon chicken, tagine with chicken, chicken cacciatore and Greek chicken with orzo.
We love this recipe because...
You guys, Louise and I were blown away by this honey harissa chicken and we devoured it a few minutes after shooting the video.
We think you'll love the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, smoky, and savory flavors. Here are some more reasons to try it:
- 👌 Easy on a sheet pan: arrange everything on a baking sheet, bake it for 50 mins, and dinner's ready.
- 🔥 Bold Heat: Harissa is a North African chili paste with a deep, smoky, slightly tangy heat that works with juicy chicken thighs and drumsticks.
- 🍯 Honey’s Sweetness: The honey creates a sticky glaze that makes the chicken flavorful while balancing the heat.
- 🍗 Juicy, Tender Chicken: The marinade helps keep the chicken moist and flavorful; the roasting in the oven keeps it tender and juicy!
- 🫑 The veggies – I know this recipe is about the chicken, but we are 100% sure you'll find yourself fighting over the veggies. They are SO good!
Finally, this is a versatile dish for weeknight dinners, BBQs, or meal prepping, excellent served on aromatic saffron rice.
Ingredients
Find ingredient list, quantities, and substitutions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Chicken: We recommend chicken thighs and drumsticks for maximum juiciness and flavor.
- Veggies: Go for bell peppers and red onions. They get so soft, moist, and flavorful!
- Harissa: it's a spicy North African paste made from chilies, peppers, cumin, garlic, and other spices.
- Other ingredients: garlic, olive oil, honey, salt, and black pepper.
- Serve it with: fresh parsley or cilantro. It's best on saffron rice or cous cous.
How to make honey harissa chicken
Step 1: Add harissa, honey, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, grated garlic, salt and black pepper to a small bowl. Give it a mix, and that’s our seasoning/marinade.
Step 2: Add chopped bell peppers and onions to a baking tray and toss them with half of the seasoning.
Step 3: Arrange on a single layer then add the chicken on top, I’m using chicken thigh and drumsticks. Rub the chicken with the remaining harissa mixture.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F or 180C for about 50 minutes. Baste the chicken with its juices before serving.
We love this with fluffy saffron rice to soak up the flavorful juices.
Louise loves adding some yogurt to cool off the spice. I love it as is 🔥
More Mediterranean dinner recipes
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We love hearing from you!
Recipe
Honey harissa chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 2 bell peppers
- 3 red onions
- 3 tablespoons harissa
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 handful parsley or cilantro
Instructions
- Add 3 tablespoons harissa, ¼ cup honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper to a bowl and stir to combine.
- Add 2 bell peppers and 3 red onions both chunkily chopped to a baking tray and toss them with half of the harissa mixture.
- Arrange on a single layer then add 2 pounds chicken pieces on top.Rub the chicken with the remaining harissa mixture.Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F or 180°C for about 50 minutes. Baste the chicken with its juices before serving.
- We love this with fluffy saffron rice to soak up the flavorful juices.Louise loves adding some yogurt to cool off the spice. I love it as is 🔥
Video
Notes
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks: use chicken breasts to make it leaner.
- Lemon juice: substitute vinegar.
- Harissa paste: substitute 1 tablespoon hot sauce plus 2 tablespoons mustard.
- Garlic: substitute garlic powder.
- Parsley: substitute fresh cilantro.
- Olive oil: substitute another vegetable oil omit.
- Honey: substitute maple syrup.
Tina says
This recipe is so good it didn’t even make it onto the table. My kids ate it over at the kitchen counter, my husband was left with a small piece so I promised him I’d make it again tonight. It’s one of the easiest and most flavorful recipes we’ve ever tried. Thanks for sharing the video as well.
Nico Pallotta says
Thank you so much for your comment Tina. We are so happy your family liked the recipe.
Happy cooking then 🙂
Nico
Lala says
This looks wonderful. I cannot wait to make. How much honey do we add?
Nico Pallotta says
Hi Lala, thanks for your message. Apologies, just saw the honey was missing from the ingredients list.
I added it now 🙂 It's 1/4 cup honey (80 g).
Enjoy!
Nico