I’m back with yet another quick and easy pantry recipe for you, which I hope will be useful during this difficult time. This Harissa Chicken with Radishes and Herbs literally came together with what I had on hand and with what was left behind at the grocery store (back when I made and shot this recipe at the start of the quarantine). I know it isn’t easy right now, and I know that we’re all doing our best to stay home and be safe, so I’m trying my best to develop some basic recipes that are versatile, don’t take too long to make and hopefully don’t require us to head to the grocery store too often. As with all of the recipes, I’ve listed various substitutions for some of the ingredients, but if you have any other comments or questions, please don’t hesitate to ask below!
We’re going to start by marinating the chicken. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, harissa, cumin, paprika and a large pinch of salt and pepper until well incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight. If you chill overnight, let the chicken sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before cooking.
**Tip: I grew up eating chicken legs a lot because they were economical so I still love chicken legs, however, if you want to use bone-in chicken thighs you can. You can also do use boneless chicken breasts, just not that they’ll cook in less time! This would be great with pork chips or sausages as well!**
**Tip 2: Harissa is a North African hot chili pepper paste that you can find in most stores. I always keep some on hand in my fridge. If you don’t have any, you can use 1/4 cup tomato paste and add in a bit of crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you like it), 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder. If you don’t have tomato paste, feel free to just use the spices.**
Set a very large pan over medium heat. Once hot, drizzle in 3 tablespoons olive oil and add in half of the chicken. Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and continue browning the second batch.
**Tip: You definitely want to brown the chicken in batches so that you don’t over-crowd the pan and steam the chicken instead of browning it. You’ll notice that a lot of the harissa will start to brown on the bottom of the pot, we’ll deglaze it later on! If you find that it’s starting to burn too quickly, lower the flame!**
Once all of the chicken has browned, drizzle the remaining oil into the hot pan. Stir in the red onion, garbanzo beans, and radishes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
**Note: I always have a can of garbanzo beans in the pantry, but if you don’t have any whites beans would be great or even potatoes! Radishes was one of the veggies I found at the store these days so I thought it would be great here, again, you can omit them or use whatever firm veggies you have on hand (carrots or turnips would be delicious!).**
Add the chicken stock to the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. All of that will just equal more flavor and give this dish a great taste.
**Tip: It’s such a small amount of chicken stock that if you don’t have any on hand or just don’t want to open an entire container for 1/2 a cup, you can most definitely just use water or some white wine if you happen to be drinking some while you make it!**
Set the chicken back in, in an even layer as best as possible. Bake until the chicken has cooked through and registers 165°F, about 25 to 30 minutes (depending on the size of your drumsticks).
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the labneh, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Chill until ready to use.
**Note: Because this dish is a bit spicy thanks to the harissa, I like to top it with a cooling lemony sauce. I’m using labneh for this sauce (again one of the few ingredients left at the store’s dairy aisle). Labneh is like a thick yogurt/cheese that is very popular in the middle east. It has a great flavor to it. You can definitely use plain yogurt or even sour cream for this if you have that on hand instead.**
Once the chicken is done, carefully remove the pan from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes. This will ensure you don’t burn your mouth off, but also will allow the chicken’s juices to redistribute and prevent it from drying out.
Before serving, drizzle or dollop the top with the labneh sauce from earlier and then top with any and all of the chopped fresh herbs you have on hand. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
**Note: I like loading up the top of this with lots of chopped fresh herbs because it really rounds out the flavor and again, cuts through some of that heat nicely. I used a mixture of fresh parsley, cilantro, mint and basil but you can feel free to use some or all of these or whatever else you might have on hand. Chives and dill would be great too!**
You can serve the chicken (along with the veggies it cooked with) alongside some cooked rice, couscous, quinoa or even a salad. I want this to be versatile enough that you can make it would whatever you have on hand.
If you’ve got some chicken legs in fridge (or freezer) and you don’t know what to do with them, I’ve got you covered. Although this would be great with a number of different proteins instead. I hope you find it useful and of course, if you have any questions about ingredients or substitutions, do not hesitate to ask! Please stay safe, and stay home!
- 2 pounds chicken drumsticks
- ¼ cup harissa paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 medium red onion, sliced
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
- 1 pound radishes, trimmed and cut in half
- ½ cup chicken stock or water
- 1 cup labneh (or Greek yogurt or sour cream)
- 1 lemon juiced
- Large bunch fresh herbs (such mint, cilantro, parsley and/or basil), chopped
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, harissa, cumin, paprika and a large pinch of salt and pepper until well incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight. If you chill overnight, let the chicken sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before cooking.
- Set a very large pan over medium heat. Once hot, drizzle in 3 tablespoons olive oil and add in half of the chicken. Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and continue browning the second batch.
- Once all of the chicken has browned, drizzle the remaining oil into the hot pan. Stir in the onion, garbanzo beans, and radishes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock to the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Set the chicken back in, in an even layer as best as possible. Bake until the chicken has cooked through and registers 165°F, about 25 to 30 minutes (depending on the size of your drumsticks).
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the labneh, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Chill until ready to use.
- Once the chicken is done, carefully remove the pan from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes. Before serving, drizzle or dollop the top with the labneh and top with any and all of the herbs. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Enjoy!
Good to know that works too! I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.