There’s a reason chicken is a bit of a Friday night staple — before Jews came to America, red meat simply wasn’t abundantly available and therefore saved for special occasions. But also, chicken is a relatively easy dinner to prepare, especially when you roast a whole chicken.
This honey, harissa and lemon chicken is as easy as any other roast chicken recipe, with a slightly sweet, slightly spicy twist.
But wait, you may be asking: What is harissa? Harissa is a North African pepper and chili condiment, or paste, that was brought to Israel by the Jews of Tunisia and Morocco, and quickly became a popular flavoring. It can be found in dried form in the Israeli outdoor markets or as a paste in jars. Even many American supermarkets like Whole Foods, Stop & Shop, Shop Rite and Trader Joe’s carry harissa (usually in the Ethnic aisle with other Middle Eastern products), and you can even try your hand at making your own. And there are so many ways to use it, from these lemon potatoes with harissa mayo to a spring greens fritatta.
But I recently got my hands on some NY Shuk harissa, and truly honestly, it is so much better than trying to make your own or many of the other store-bought varieties I have tried. It’s smoky, deep and not too spicy. And I have made chicken with it several times to the delight of my family and friends.
I like roasting a whole chicken using an upright roaster like this or this. I highly recommend investing in one — it makes such a different for a super moist bird on the inside, while still achieving that coveted crispy skin. If you want to add a rinsed and drained can of chickpeas in the bottom of your pan for the last 15 minutes, they are delicious with this chicken, but that step is completely optional.
Note: The chicken needs to marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to overnight.
Harissa-Honey Roast Chicken
A perfect roast chicken with a little bit of spice.
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp prepared harissa (such as NY Shuk)
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Mix together honey, harissa, lemon zest and lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place chicken in a sealable plastic bag and pour marinade in. Massage chicken until completely coated. Throw in lemon halves if desired.
- Place in fridge and allow to marinate for 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Place chicken on an upright roaster or on a baking sheet. Cook for 55-60 minutes or until a meat thermometer (stick into thickest part of chicken without touching bone) reads 165°F.
- Allow to cool slightly. Cut into pieces and serve.
Notes
The chicken needs to marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes + 1 hour marinating time
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Entre
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Holiday
what is Harissa!???
Are those chick peas? How do you prepare them?
Hi Brenda, if you want to add a rinsed and drained can of chickpeas in the bottom of your pan for the last 15 minutes, they are delicious with this chicken, but that step is completely optional.
Which of the 5 Harissa spices did you use on the chicken? I’d like to buy one of them online. However, I would just do chicken breasts instead. Any problem with using the same recipe on less-than-a-total-chicken? Best regards,
Renee
Hi Renee, this recipe used New York Shuk’s signature harissa, but you can use any prepared harissa of your choice. You can use chicken breasts, but we recommend skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts for flavor, and to ensure they don’t dry out. They will also take less time to cook, so you’ll need to check them earlier, after 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!
I have dried harissa. How can I adapt that for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Leslie, you can mix it with olive oil and water to turn it into a paste. Start with the ratio 2:1:1 of powder:oil:water, though you might find you want to add more oil if the paste is too thick. Hope that helps!
The recipe calls for an upright roaster. Is that the same as using a beer can to hold the chicken upright?
More or less, yes!