Harissa Spiced Chicken brings together the flavors of North Africa and the Mediterranean region. Chicken breasts or thighs browned and then braised with artichoke hearts, lemons, sun-dried tomatoes and harissa spices becomes a colorful and comforting dinner which everyone will enjoy. Delicious on its own, aromatic Harissa Spiced Chicken pairs very well with couscous and a Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad starter.
Prep Time: 15 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
- 2 large boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts or 4 boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs
- 4 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tbs Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup chopped Onion
- 3 Garlic cloves, peeled, trimmed and minced
- 2 Pasilla Chilis, trimmed, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 Lemons, preferably Meyer Lemons, cut into 8 pieces each, seeds removed
- 15 Sun-Dried Tomatoes In oil, slivered
- 6 oz Artichoke Hearts in water, drained
- A “good” 1/3 cup Dry White Wine
Harissa Spice Seasoning:
- ¼ tsp ground Coriander
- ¼ tsp ground Cumin
- ¼ tsp dried Thyme leaves
- ¼ tsp ground Carraway
- ¼ tsp ground Cloves
- ¼ tsp ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Coarse Sea Salt
- ½ tsp Aleppo Pepper
- ½ tsp ground Turmeric
- ½ tsp Hot Smoked Paprika
Preparation:
- If using chicken breasts, hold them flat on a cutting board with one hand and slice them through horizontally to create two halves of ¾-inch thickness each.
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil and unsalted butter in a wide, deep frying pan or fricassee pan over a medium high heat.
- Add the chicken to the pan and fry until golden brown, turn over and repeat with other side.
- Add the onion, garlic and pasilla chilis around the chicken in the pan, cover and sauté over a medium heat until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the lemon pieces to the pan, fitting them in among the chicken and vegetables. Sprinkle the harissa spice seasoning over everything in the pan, cover and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Pour the white wine into the pan, stir to loosen any bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts to the pan and stir to mix all the ingredients together. Raise the heat to medium high and cook open until the liquid reduces a bit, approximately 5 minutes. Arrange in a deep, wide platter or bowl and serve.
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