Harissa Chicken
Harissa Honey Chicken – This fabulously easy Middle Eastern recipe uses your choice of chicken breasts or thighs, bold harissa seasoning, and just the right touch of honey. This delicious grilled chicken is perfect to serve with your favorite sides, or use to make copycat CAVA dishes at home.
Why We Love this Harissa Honey Chicken Recipe
The glorious grilled Harissa Chicken recipe is reminiscent of the Harissa Honey Chicken at Cava restaurants… It has a bold spiced flavor balanced with tangy-sweet citrus notes, yet is not overly spicy-hot, so nearly anyone can enjoy it!
What is harissa? It’s a traditional Middle Eastern and North African spice blend that typically includes dry red chiles, coriander seeds, cumin, and caraway seeds. You can buy it at most grocery stores as a dried ground harissa seasoning, or harissa paste. Either will work in this copycat Cava recipe.
Serve whole grilled chicken on Middle Eastern plates with any number of side dishes. Or chop it and use it in grain bowls or salad bowls like at casual restaurants!
Ingredients You Need
- Chicken – boneless breasts or chicken thighs
- Olive oil – use a high-quality oil for the best taste, or substitute with another high-heat oil like avocado or canola oil
- Harissa seasoning – or paste
- Honey – use a pourable honey for easy mixing
- Lemon juice – a bit to brighten the warm and sweet flavors
- Garlic – minced
- Spices – ground cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika, and salt
How to Make Grilled Harissa Chicken
Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish (or rimmed pan) and place the chicken pieces in the dish. Measure and dump all remaining ingredients over the chicken.
Use your hands (or tongs) to massage and toss the chicken to completely cover it in the seasonings. Cover the top of the dish with plastic and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but up to 12 hours.
When ready to cook, preheat the grill to medium heat, between 350 and 400°F. Once the grill is hot, grill the chicken pieces for 5 minutes per side for average size chicken breasts and thighs, or 6-7 minutes per side for extra-large breasts.
Allow the chicken to rest for 3-5 minutes once it comes off the grill. Then serve it whole or chop it and use it in other recipes.
Get the Complete (Printable) Harissa Honey Chicken Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Serve whole grilled chicken on Middle Eastern plates with hummus, Tzatziki sauce, yellow rice or saffron rice, fluffy couscous, quinoa, or cauliflower rice, and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, and a lemon wedge.
Or chop it and use it in grain bowls, salad bowls, or pitas like at Cava restaurants! The tender pieces of harissa chicken are delicious with fresh chopped veggies and Mediterranean toppings like lettuce greens, pickled red onions, crumbled feta, and pita bread crisps.
Frequently Asked Questions
The spice blend is smoky and spice-ful, but not wildly spicy… It has more of a deeply warm and peppery flavor.
There is a good bit of heat, but it’s not spicy like cayenne.
Yes, and over-marinating chicken can make the meat unpleasantly soft. Keep it to under 12 hours for lots of flavor but still tender breasts.
Leftover harissa chicken will keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, so it is great for meal prep.
Yes, you can! Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Drain off the harissa marinade and bake the chicken for approximately 15-20 minutes.
Looking for More Easy and Flavorful Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Best Chicken Shawarma Wrap
- Halal Chicken Over Rice
- “Street Meat” Grilled Lamb Kabobs
- Beef Kafta Kabob Recipe
- Zesty Greek Chicken Marinade
Harissa Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons harissa seasoning or harissa paste
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and place the chicken pieces in the dish.
- Measure and dump all remaining ingredients over the chicken. Use your hands (or tongs) to massage and toss the chicken to completely cover it in the seasonings. Cover the top of the dish with plastic and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but up to 12 hours.
- When ready to cook, preheat the grill to medium heat, between 350 and 400°F. Once the grill is hot, grill the chicken pieces for 5 minutes per side for average size chicken breasts and thighs, or 6-7 minutes per side for extra-large breasts.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 3-5 minutes once it comes off the grill. Then serve it whole or chop and use in other recipes.
Excellent recipe I ended up baking. The harissa flavor came through I adjusted to 2 Tb of paste as some family members don’t like too spicy it was perfect
This is a keeper ( as most of your great recipes are)
My daughter’s favorite dish at Cava is their Harissa chicken and this was a great replicate. She loved it and so did the rest of our family.
I am so happy I found this recipe, it was delicious! Such a yummy way to mix up my chicken recipes!
This looks and tastes good! Even the picky loved it! Full of flavors!