Roast chicken over hot-headed chickpeas
Harissa gets two minutes in a pan and a whole new attitude.
At a Glance
Story
Harissa is the Tunisian chile paste, and jarred versions arrive a little flat from the journey. Two minutes in a pan with sautéed onion and garlic wakes it right up, and mashing half the chickpeas into the sauce gives it body while the other half stay whole for texture. A condiment becomes a dish.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lb bone-in skin-on chicken breasts
- 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and pepper
- ½ cup onionfinely chopped
- 1 tsp garlicminced
- 2 tbsp harissa pastemore to taste
- 1 tbsp coriander seedscrushed (or 1½ tsp ground coriander)
- 1 × 15.5 oz can chickpeasrinsed and drained
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juicefrom about ½ a lemon
- ¼ cup parsleycoarsely chopped
Method
High heat, crisp skin and a sauce with opinions. The chickpeas do double duty, half mashed into the sauce and half left whole to be interesting.
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the chicken with 2 tablespoons of the oil, season well with salt and pepper and arrange skin side up. Roast until golden and cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes depending on size. Rest 10 minutes, then carve the breast off the bone and slice.
- While the chicken rests, warm 2 tablespoons of oil in a small saucepan over medium. Soften the onion and garlic, about 3 minutes. Stir in the harissa and coriander and cook until it smells serious and turns dark red, about 2 minutes.
- Add half the chickpeas and mash them lightly into the sauce. Stir in the rest along with the lemon juice, parsley, the last 2 tablespoons of oil and ¼ cup of water. Season to taste.
Spoon the sauce generously over the sliced chicken. Couscous or orzo underneath would not be a mistake. No mortar and pestle for the coriander? The bottom of a heavy pot crushes seeds just as well and enjoys it more.
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