Ultra juicy chicken thighs are tossed through a flavor PACKED harissa honey sauce and then grilled to perfection for an easy weeknight-friendly meal. It takes just 30 minutes and can be served in multiple delicious ways (piled on top of soft two-ingredient flatbreads is a delicious choice!)
Harissa paste is a flavor powerhouse and something I love to have on hand. Here, it pairs BEAUTIFULLY with honey and lemon to create a seriously delicious sweet, sour, spicy sauce that is just SO moreish. Add juicy grilled chicken thighs and you have a wonderful, versatile recipe using just six base ingredients.
The great thing about this recipe is you can serve it in so many different ways, and it’s a fab one for meal prep or easy entertaining. The chicken can be marinated up to 24 hours ahead of time, and will last for four days in the fridge once it’s cooked.
Here, I’m serving it on top of soft 2-ingredient dough flatbreads, with shredded lettuce, tahini sauce, crumbled feta, and honestly? Obsessed.
This is the same sauce I use for my honey harissa glazed halloumi, if you’d like to try a vegetarian twist on this recipe. And if you’re a fan of these flavors, you might like to try this air fryer viral chicken doner kebab platter, or juicy chicken shawarma crispy rice salad.
Table of Contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken thighs. I’m using skinless, boneless, free-range chicken thighs here. I prefer thighs because they’re juicier and more flavorful than chicken breasts, but you can use breasts if you like, or tenderloin.
- Harissa paste. This fiery North African spice paste is loaded with chilies, lemon, and garlic and is a flavor powerhouse. I’m using Belazu Rose Harissa paste here, but you can use any harissa paste you like. Different brands have different levels of heat, so give yours a taste before using it and reduce the quantity (use 1 tablespoon) if it’s very spicy.
- Lemon. I’m using fresh lemon because the flavor is better, but you can use bottled lemon juice if you like.
How to Make Honey Harissa Chicken
This is a step-by-step overview of how to make the chicken – the full recipe with ingredient quantities is at the bottom of the page for you.
- Mix the harissa paste, honey, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat.
- Arrange the chicken on a lined oven pan, ideally on a single layer, so it can cook evenly and get lovely and charred.
- Cook the chicken until it’s beautifully golden and charred around the edges
- Serve the chicken piled onto a platter with more cooking juices drizzled on top, or, as I have here, serve it on top of soft flatbreads with a drizzle of tahini, a little feta, and shredded lettuce.
Kate’s Top Tip for Cooking Chicken
If you’re worried about whether or not the chicken is cooked and ready, you can cut into a piece to check if it looks white.
OR, use a probe thermometer. Chicken should be at least 165°F (75°C) all the way through.
Five Ways to Serve Honey Harissa Chicken
- Slice it and pile it on top of creamy white bean dip or creamy oil-free hummus, with green goddess salad on the side.
- Pair with skin-on roast potatoes, miso sweet potatoes, dukkah roast potatoes or crispy oven fries.
- Pile onto soft, garlic flatbreads and dollop sundried tomato and feta dip on top.
- Stuff into steamed bao buns with garlic aioli and a crunchy Asian-style salad.
- Turn the chicken into a loaded miso chicken poke bowl, serve it on top of grilled chicken Caesar salad, toss through pasta salad (like this orzo pesto salad), or serve on top of risotto.
Watch How to Make Honey Harissa Chicken
Honey Harissa Chicken FAQs
Yes, you can. Cut your breasts into about 3 pieces, then proceed with the recipe.
It will keep well once cooked for 4 days, stored in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also marinate the chicken in the harissa honey sauce up to 24 hours ahead of time.
I love using Belazu Rose Harissa when I’m in the UK, but any brand of harissa will do here.
It very much depends on the brand. Always taste before you use – if yours is super spicy, reduce the quantity in the recipe to 1 tablespoon.
Like this recipe? Here are more easy weeknight ideas to try
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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Harissa Honey Grilled Chicken
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
Ultra juicy chicken thighs are tossed through a flavour-packed harissa honey sauce and then grilled to perfection for an easy weeknight-friendly meal. It takes just 30 minutes and can be served in multiple delicious ways.
Here I’m serving the chicken on top of soft 2-ingredient dough flatbreads, with tahini garlic sauce, shredded lettuce, crumbled feta and crispy chickpeas.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (500g) boneless, skinless, free-range chicken thighs, diced
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken. Heat your oven to 480°F (250°C fan) and line a baking pan with parchment paper (or use a baking dish). Add 2 tablespoons of harissa paste, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 crushed garlic cloves and a pinch of salt to a mixing bowl. Using a fork or a small whisk, mix into a cohesive paste, then add the chicken. Toss through the marinade so each piece is well coated. PRO TIP: At this point, you can pop the marinating chicken into the fridge for up to 24 hours.
- Cook the chicken. When you’re ready to cook the chicken, transfer it to the lined tray (ideally) on a single layer. This way, the chicken will have a chance to cook evenly and get nicely charred around the edges. Transfer the tray to the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it’s starting to char around the edges and the chicken is cooked through. Either use a probe thermometer to ensure the chicken is at least 165°F (75°C). If you don’t have a probe thermometer, you can cut into the chicken to check – it should look white, and the juices that run out when you cut in should be clear, rather than cloudy.
- Garnish and serve. Transfer the chicken to a serving plate, then spoon over the cooking juices. Serve with pomegranate seeds, scallions, mint leaves, and nutty homemade dukkah sprinkled on top if you like.
Notes
This is an updated version of the original recipe I published and I have changed the cooking instructions slightly (to make things easier with just one oven setting). The original instructions are to heat your oven to 430°F/220°C fan, then cook the chicken for 12 – 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven, spoon over the cooking juices, then turn your oven to broil/grill and change the temperature to 480°F/250°C. Broil/grill for another 5 – 6 minutes, until lovely and charred.
INGREDIENT NOTES: I prefer chicken thighs here, for superior flavor and for the juicy factor, but you can use chicken breasts. Slice the breasts into about three pieces, then toss with the marinade and continue with the recipe. Different brands of harissa have different levels of spice, so taste yours before you use it, and if it’s super spicy, you can reduce the quantity to 1 tablespoon. I’m using Belazu Rose Harissa here.
SUBSTITUTIONS: If you can’t find harissa, use sriracha, sambal oelek, or another chili paste (gochujang is also great!)
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: You can marinate the chicken up to 24 hours in advance if you want to get ahead. Once cooked, the chicken will keep well for 4 days, stored in the fridge in a covered container.
FLATBREAD INSTRUCTIONS: I’m serving the chicken piled on top of soft two-ingredient flatbreads with a quick harissa mayo (mix 1 tablespoon of harissa paste with 1/4 cup mayo or egg-free garlic aioli), tahini garlic sauce, crumbled feta (marinated feta would be even better), crispy chickpeas, and shredded lettuce.
MORE SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I love piling it on creamy white bean dip or creamy smooth hummus, then serving it with a salad (this green goddess salad is great), and some soft garlic flatbreads. Or stuff it into fluffy steamed bao buns with a crunchy Asian-style salad, toss through pesto orzo salad or a grain salad, use as the protein in a grilled chicken poke bowl or enjoy it with a spread of salads (it would be great with this smashed potato salad).
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: meat
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 125g
- Calories: 413
- Sugar: 19.6g
- Sodium: 976.6mg
- Fat: 16.3g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11.3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Fiber: 0.1g
- Protein: 44.5g
- Cholesterol: 211.5mg
Love this! Can I freeze it?
So pleased you love it Mariella! Yes, you can freeze it 😊 Cooked or uncooked x