Harissa Chicken with Crispy Chickpeas and Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1½ poundschicken breasts
- 2 cans (15 ounces each)chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 2 tablespoonsharissa paste
- 3 tablespoonsolive oil
- ·yellow onion
- ·garlic
- 1 cupvegetable broth
- ½ cupGreek yogurt
- ·lemon
- ·fresh cilantro
- 1 pinchsalt and black pepper
Prep
- 01
Dice 1 medium yellow onion.
- 02
Mince 3 cloves garlic.
- 03
Cut 1 lemon in half for juicing.
Method
- 01
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then sear 4 minutes per side until golden. Transfer to a plate.
- 02
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Cook onion until soft, about 4 minutes, then add garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
- 03
Stir in harissa paste and cook for 30 seconds to bloom the spices. Pour in broth, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.
- 04
Return chicken to the skillet, nestle it into the broth, and simmer 12 minutes until cooked through (165°F internal temperature).
- 05
Add drained chickpeas to the skillet and cook 3 minutes more to warm through and crisp the edges slightly.
- 06
Whisk together Greek yogurt with lemon juice in a small bowl. Drizzle over the chicken and chickpeas, then scatter cilantro on top. Serve warm.
Spice Tips
Harissa brings pleasant warmth, but you can dial it up with a pinch of cayenne pepper stirred into the yogurt drizzle. For deeper spice, add 1/2 teaspoon cumin or a small pinch of smoked paprika to the broth in step 3. Fresh mint mixed with the cilantro adds a cooling, herbaceous note if you prefer to soften the heat.
Serve over couscous, rice, or crusty bread to soak up the harissa sauce. For make-ahead, marinate the chicken in harissa and a touch of yogurt for up to 4 hours before cooking.