If you’re a fan of bold, punchy North African flavours, then this chicken dish is going be a surefire hit. It’s rubbed with a spiced harissa paste that, if you give it even a few hours to sit, infuses the chicken with such an incredible, craveable flavour.
To make it even better, I roast the chicken on top of some chickpeas so that all of the juices collect in there. Afterwards, I mix in some fluffy couscous with preserved lemons so that it soaks up all that flavour.
The best thing about this recipe? It only requires about 15 minutes of active prep time, and the rest is completely hands-off!
How to Make Harissa-Roasted Chicken with Couscous
I highly recommend prepping the chicken the night before you want to cook it, as it allows the harissa rub to really seep in and deeply flavour the chicken.
It also means that you basically can just throw it in the oven and have dinner ready the next day!
Start by removing the backbone of your chicken. This is incredibly easy to do at home with some sturdy kitchen shears and I highly recommend doing it yourself.
It not only gives you a bit more confidence in the kitchen, but you also get to hang onto the backbone – which is perfect for homemade chicken stock!
However, if you’re skeeved out about breaking down a chicken at home, you can always ask a butcher to do it for you.
If you are doing it at home, all you need to do is use some kitchen shears to cut from the cavity to the neck along one side of the backbone. Then, go ahead and repeat on the other side. Flip the chicken over and use the heel of your hand to flatten it.
Now, much like I do in my herby roast chicken recipe, I also like to take this time to use my fingers to separate the skin from the flesh. Do this by gently sliding your fingers underneath the skin over the breasts, thighs and legs.
Go ahead and wash your hands and get your spice rub together. For this, simply combine some olive oil, harissa, ras el hanout (a Moroccan spice blend), salt and a couple of cloves of garlic in a small bowl.
Using your hands, go ahead and rub about three-quarters of the spice rub underneath the chicken skin directly on the flesh – evenly distributing it between the breasts, legs and thighs. Once you’re done with this, rub the remaining over the skin.
Set the chicken on a wire rack placed over a rimmed baking dish and move it, uncovered, into the fridge. I recommend letting it sit for at least 4 hours, but you can let it go for up to 24 hours. Honestly, the longer the better.
When you’re ready to cook, go ahead and remove the chicken from the fridge and preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
While that’s happening, add a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas to a large bowl along with a bit of olive oil, some more ras el hanout, a few whole cloves of garlic, some chopped preserved lemon, a few shallots that you’ve quartered through the root end and a drizzle of date syrup.
I like using date syrup here because I find the flavour really blends with the Mediterranean flair this dish has, but go ahead and use honey if you don’t have it – it’s not worth buying a whole jar of it if this is the only recipe you will use it for.
Stir all of this to combine and then add it to a cast iron skillet along with a splash of chicken stock. Arrange your chicken on top of the chickpeas and move it to the oven.
Cook the chicken until the skin is crisp and an instant-read thermometer registers 70°C/160°F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast – about 40-50 minutes.
Use tongs to move the chicken onto a board to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, bring some chicken stock to a simmer and then pour it over some couscous.
Cover the bowl and let the couscous rehydrate for about 5 minutes before fluffing it up with a fork.
Scrape the couscous into the skillet with the chickpeas. Add in some chopped (and pitted!) medjool dates and a bit of parsley and stir to combine.
Now, all you need to do is go ahead and carve the chicken and serve!
Harissa Chicken with Couscous & Preserved Lemon
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken about 1.5kg (3lbs)
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 tbsp harissa
- 10 g (2 tsp) salt
- 2½ tsp ras el hanout divided (see note 1)
- 8 cloves garlic peeled, divided
- 1 (400g/14oz) can chickpeas drained & rinsed
- 1 preserved lemon flesh discarded & skin chopped (see note 2)
- 3 shallots peeled & quartered through the root
- 2 tsp date syrup or honey
- 310 ml (1 ¼ cups) chicken stock
- 250 g (1 ½ cups) couscous (see note 3)
- 3 medjool dates pitted & chopped
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
- Using sturdy kitchen shears, cut along one side of the backbone of the chicken. Repeat on the other side to remove the backbone entirely. Flip the chicken so that the breast is facing up. With the heel of your hand, press firmly on the breastbone to flatten the chicken. Pat dry with paper towels. Use your fingers to gently loosen the skin of the chicken by sliding them between the skin & the flesh.
- In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp of olive oil, the harissa, salt, 2 tsp ras el hanout and grate in 2 cloves of garlic.
- Use your fingers to rub ¾ of the harissa mixture underneath the skin, ensuring it's evenly distributed across the breasts, legs & thighs. Rub the remaining mixture on top of the skin. Set the chicken on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking tray. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 4 hours and up to 24.
- 30 minutes before cooking, remove the chicken from the fridge and preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Add the chickpeas to a large bowl along with the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil, ½ tsp ras el hanout, 6 cloves of peeled garlic (left whole) and the preserved lemon, shallots and date syrup. Toss to combine.
- Add the chickpea mixture to a 10-inch cast iron skillet or medium baking tray. Pour over 60ml (¼ cup) of the chicken stock. Arrange the chicken over the chickpeas and move to the oven.
- Roast the chicken until it is deeply golden brown, the skin is crisp and an instant-read thermometer registers 70°C/160°F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast – about 40-50 minutes (see note 4).
- Move the chicken to a board and allow it to rest, uncovered, for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, add the couscous to a small bowl. Place the remaining 250ml (1 cup) of stock in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Pour over the couscous, cover, and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Once the couscous has rehydrated, fluff it with a fork and add it to the chickpea mixture in the skillet. Stir in the dates and parsley. Carve the chicken and serve it immediately.
Notes
- Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice blend, often sold simply as “Moroccan Spice.” If you cannot find it, it can be substituted with the same quantity of baharat spice blend. Otherwise, it can be made at home by combining 2 parts ground cumin, 2 parts ground ginger, 1 part freshly ground black pepper, 1 part ground cinnamon, 1 part ground coriander seed, 1 part cayenne pepper, 1 part ground allspice and ½ part ground clove.
- If you don’t have preserved lemons, simply use the zest of 1 medium lemon.
- Ensure you’re using small, Moroccan-style couscous rather than the larger Israeli-style couscous.
- For the best results, rely on the internal temperature of the bird to gauge doneness and not time or other visual indicators.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
This chicken with harissa, preserved lemons and couscous is so deeply flavourful, you really wouldn’t believe how easy it is to make!
Are you after a harissa chicken recipe? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
