This Harissa Roasted Chicken and Potatoes is a one pan dinner that features a beautiful spatchcock chicken with crispy skin, a spicy kick, and herbaceous roasted potatoes with pearl onions.
Have you ever tried harissa? This is no ordinary chilli paste. This North African liquid gold is made with hot peppers, garlic, saffron, caraway, and coriander. But, don’t be fooled by these aromatic flavors! This stuff packs the heat. We used it sparingly on our chicken but if you’re up for the challenge, you can pack on as much as you’d like.
Our new favorite method for roasting chicken, that you’ll see here, is called “spatchcock“. With this technique of preparing a whole chicken, you’ll use scissors to remove the spine of the chicken, break the breastbone to flatten it, and voila! The skin is now fully exposed for optimal crispiness, and you can have it fully cooked in only 45 minutes – 1 hour. How amazing is that?
Before you throw out your chicken’s spine and the wing tips, STOP! Keep it in your freezer for the next time you make a big batch of homemade chicken stock. You wont believe how much deep flavor you can get by simmering those pieces.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE PERFECT HARISSA CHICKEN
- Harissa is very spicy, but has incredible flavor. You can add more or less depending on how much heat you want the chicken to pack.
- You can use regular onion cut in about 1/2″ pieces if you can’t find pearl onions.
- You can roast this chicken as is if you don’t want to spatchcock it. Add an extra 15-20 minutes to the cook time.
- For a flavor boost, you can gently loosen the skin from the meat of the chicken with your hands and rub the harissa mixture under the skin.
CRAVING MORE CHICKEN RECIPES? TRY THESE:
- Creamy Parmesan Orzo with Chicken and Asparagus
- Garlic Soy Chicken
- Chicken Bacon Pasta with Tomato Sauce
- Chicken Potato Soup
Craving More? Follow Along:
Harissa Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds potatoes peeled and cubed
- 15-20 pearl onions peeled
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 chicken spatchcocked*
- 2 tablespoon harissa paste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- * Place the chicken breast-side down and the legs towards you. Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut up along each side of the backbone, cutting through the rib bones as you go. Open the chicken out and turn it over then flatten the breastbone with the heel of your hand, by pressing down (see video) so that the meat is all one thickness. Cut the wing tips off as well.
- Add the potatoes and pearl onions to a roasting pan. Add 1 tbsp of the olive oil, the Italian seasoning, and half a teaspoon each of pepper and salt. Mix well and arrange the pan with the potatoes around the perimeter and the pearl onions in the middle.
- Place the chicken over the onions. Using a sharp knife, cut three small slices into both of the chicken thighs (see video). Mix the harissa paste with the remaining tbsp of olive oil. Using your hands, massage the mixture well over the front and back of the chicken. Season with the remaining salt and pepper.
- Bake for 60 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees F.
Video
Tips & Notes:
- Harissa is a chilli paste used in Moroccan cooking. You can find it in the ethnic aisle of you local grocery store, or at specialty markets. If you can't find it, a red chilli paste can be used in its place.
- Harissa is very spicy. You can adjust the amount used, less or more, to suit your desired spice level.
- You can use regular onion cut in about 1/2" pieces if you can't find pearl onions
- *Spatchcock is term used to describe removing the spine from your chicken, and flattening it by breaking the breastbone. This ensures an evenly cooked crispy skin, and the chicken will cook much faster. You can keep the spine and wing tips to make you own rich homemade chicken stock.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
gonna try this! but harissa is tunisian 🙂 not Moroccan
Your recipe “Matambre – Argentinian Stuffed Flank Steak is delicious”
Thank you so much, I sincerely appreciated.
How big of a chicken did you use? I’ve read that small chickens are used a lot for spatchcocking….or spring chickens,around 2 lbs., maybe three. I’ve tried to find small chickens but haven’t been able to find anything except ones weighing four plus lbs.. and bigger. Ibought some harissa in a iar because it sounds so good, but have yet to use it, and this recipe sounds wonderful.
I had to come and see how this delicious looking harissa chicken is made. Absolutely delicious, and I’m definitely going to try it.
Hope you like it, Sammie!
I love harissa chicken! This sounds so delicious. Your pictures make it look even more appetizing! Thank you for sharing.