Harissa Spiced Chicken

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:

1. 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.
2. Heat the extra virgin olive oil and unsalted butter in a wide, deep frying pan or fricassee pan over a medium high heat.
3. Add the chicken to the pan and fry until golden brown, turn over and repeat with other side.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Pour the white wine into the pan, stir to loosen any bits on the bottom of the pan.
7. 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.