Harissa Roast Chicken with Honey and Lemon

This sheet pan harissa roast chicken with honey and lemon is a perfect weeknight meal that doesn't comprise on taste. It hits all the notes for a good roasted chicken, tender and crispy and packed full of flavor. The marinade is sweet, spicy, and lemony! It might just become one of your favorite chicken recipes. 

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• Key Ingredients
• Top Tip
• Other chicken recipes
• Harissa Roast Chicken with Honey and Lemon
• Food Safety

The marinade is super easy! It uses just a few ingredients like harissa paste, which is a spicy moroccan pepper paste and honey for a sweet, sticky texture. I like to leave the chicken in the marinade overnight, but a couple of hours will work just as well. 

I love making sheet pan dinners like this. They are so quick and simple! Plop some vegetables down, in this case sweet onions, top it with the chicken and roast until crispy. Done! The onions will cook in the drippings from the chicken and become caramelized and delicious. Maybe even better than the chicken itself. 

I usually serve this with a rice pilaf like this Moroccan preserved lemon rice or this rice pilaf with caramelized onions. A crunchy Mediterranean cucumber salad is always great too. 

Key Ingredients

• Chicken Thighs - I prefer thigh meat when roasting, the skin gets really crispy and dark meat tends to stay more tender. 
• Harissa Paste - Harissa has become very popular and you can usually find it at most grocery stores. It is a moroccan pepper paste that's spicy, slightly sweet and lemony. 
• Honey - This adds a wonderful sweetness to balance out the spice from the harissa. It also helps develop that sticky mouthwatering crisp. 
• Lemon Juice - A squeeze of lemon juice in the marinade not only helps bring out flavor, but acid also helps tenderize meat and makes better cooking chicken. 

Full ingredient list below. 

Top Tip

If you are making a big batch try adding more vegetables like peppers, zucchini, or cauliflower to soak up all the cooking juices. 

Other chicken recipes

• Vietnamese Ginger Chicken
• za'atar roast chicken
• Pomegranate Tamarind Chicken
• Campfire Braised Grilled Half Chicken

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Food Safety

• Cook meat to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.