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Grilled Harissa Chicken Thighs make for a rich and delicious weeknight meal! Perfectly seasoned grilled chicken is marinated in a sweet and smokey red pepper sauce, with garlic and lemons – it’s one mouthwatering dish!
Harissa Chicken is such a delicious and easy chicken recipe. The homemade harissa marinade is divine, coating the boneless skinless chicken in layers and layers of flavor. Lemon juice cuts through the smoky sweet red chili sauce for the perfect balance flavors, making these juicy chicken thighs utterly unforgettable!
If you’re looking for other delicious chicken recipes to add to your weeekly rota, why not also try my Korean BBQ Chicken Skewers or my Spicy Teriyaki Chicken with Broccoli!
Why you’ll love this Harissa Chicken
- A delicious homemade marinade. Harissa sauce combined with garlic, lemon, onion powder makes for the most deep and flavorful coating.
- An easy chicken recipe. The marinade is a breeze to whip up, you’ll most likely have a lot of the ingredients in your kitchen already. Then it’s a quick grill – done!
- Juicy Chicken. Grilling chicken brings out all the great flavor of the thighs and the marinade, keeping the chicken tender with lovely char lines. Low in carbs and high in protein!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Chicken Thighs: Boneless and skinless.
- Lemon Juice
- Harrisa Sauce: I used Mina Harissa which is spicy.
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder: Or fresh minced garlic .
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Dried Cilantro
- Cayenne Pepper: Optional, to add heat.
- Lemon Wedges: For serving.
How to make Harissa Chicken
- Marinade the chicken. In a small bowl, mix the the marinade ingredients and add the chicken (trimmed of fat and patted dry).
- Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 mins, ideally longer.
- Grill the chicken. Using a preheated grill, on a medium heat, grill the chicken for 6 mins a side (or until done). Brush the chicken with some more marinade just before taking off the grill.
- Garnish with lemon wedges and cilantro, serve and enjoy!
Recipe notes and tips
- You can marinate chicken up to 2 days ahead of time. Store in an airtight containers.
- You can grill the chicken in the oven, indoor grill or outdoor grill. For the best flavor, I recommend grilling outdoor for the char flavor.
- If grilling, make sure to brush the grill with some oil to avoid the chicken tearing when you flip it.
- I highly recommend Mina sauce! You can choose mild spicy, either one work great. Or substitute for any Moroccan harissa sauce.
- Be careful, there is sauce and there is paste, they are not the same.
- If no dried cilantro is available, you can use 1.4 cup freshly chopped cilantro.
- You can use any type of chicken part, but cooking time will vary.
- I recommend using boneless chicken. Boned chicken take longer to cook and the harissa sauce will burn.
FAQ’S
What is harissa?
Harissa is a spicy North African chili pepper sauce, originating from Tunisia. It livens up any dish, because it’s zesty, smoky, spicy and so aromatic!
You can find harrisa sauce in most grocery stores, it comes in a variety of heat levels, all of which work great.
What to serve with Harissa Chicken
You can serve Harissa Chicken over white rice, brown rice, quinoa, couscous, flatbread, salad or whatever you fancy! A classic way to eat it is over white rice, but it’s a such a tasty chicken recipe, you can use in so lots of ways. You can slice it up and put them in a pita with a some yogurt sauce – delicious!
Storing leftovers
If there are any leftovers, you can store this Harissa Chicken in an airtight container, in the fridge. They’ll last 3-4 days.
Other delicious chicken recipes
- Creamy Sundried Tomato Chicken Thighs
- Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe
- Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you including this delicious Harissa Chicken recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!
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Grilled Harissa Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 8 pieces large chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup harrisa sauce, I used the Mina Harrisa (spicy)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder, or fresh minced garlic
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt, or more to taste
- 3 tbsps olive oil
- 2 tsps dried cilantro
- cayenne pepper, optional to add heat
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Trim any fat off the chicken thighs and pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside.
- In a bowl, add all the marinade ingredients. Mix well to combine. If time permits, cover and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before grilling. You can also marinate the chicken up to 2 days ahead and store in an air tight container.
- Preheat your grill on medium high heat, or with charcoal on a rack half way up to the grill.
- Grill the chicken on each side for 6 minutes or more until well done. Cooking time will varry based on your fire. Brush the chicken 1 minute before they come out with the extra marinade sauce that’s left in the bowl.
- Once they are grilled, transfer to a serving dish and garnish with some chopped cilantro and lemon wedges.
Video
Notes
- You can marinate chicken up to 2 days ahead of time. Store in an airtight containers.
- You can grill the chicken in the oven, indoor grill or outdoor grill. For the best flavor, I recommend grilling outdoor for the char flavor.
- If grilling, make sure to brush the grill with some oil to avoid the chicken tearing when you flip it.
- I highly recommend Mina sauce! You can choose mild spicy, either one work great. Or substitute for any Moroccan harissa sauce.
- Be careful, there is sauce and there is paste, they are not the same.
- If no dried cilantro is available, you can use 1.4 cup freshly chopped cilantro.
- You can use any type of chicken part, but cooking time will vary.
- I recommend using boneless chicken. Boned chicken take longer to cook and the harissa sauce will burn.
This was a delicious recipe. I have made at least three times and will continue to make it. I’ve never had Harrisa Sauce before, it’s so flavorful you will not be disappointed. I agree Mina brand is the best sauce to use.
Hi Sonja!
Thank you so much for the review. I am happy you enjoyed the recipe.