This baked harissa chicken recipe is a go-to weeknight meal featuring juicy and flavourful bone-in chicken pieces, marinated with Moroccan style harissa and a few warm spices. The final touch is a honey butter glaze to balance the spiciness from the harissa. Ready in under an hour, this recipe makes for a delicious chicken dinner!

Baked red chicken with sliced red peppers on a rectangular white platter with a green glass of water, a black and white striped tea towel, a wooden handled knife and a small plate of parsley leaves on a speckled background.

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I always have a jar of harissa in my fridge, and I mainly use it as a condiment: in wraps and sandwiches, and in salad dressings. Recently, I have been throwing it into my chicken marinades and was blown away at the flavour boost it brings with just a few tablespoons.

Harissa is a Tunisian and Moroccan chili pepper paste. It can be made slightly differently depending on the region, but its main components are: chili peppers, garlic, olive oil and salt. Some varieties will also add warm spices like cumin, coriander and caraway.

In this recipe, I used Mina harissa which is one of my favourites simply due to its few ingredients and freshness. It comes in a mild and spicy variety, and in this recipe I opted for the spicy one. You can find harissa at most grocery stores in the international aisle or with the condiments. You’ll have to adjust the amount you use based on how spicy the harissa is.

During my very last test of this recipe, I decided to glaze the chicken with a honey butter mixture and I’ve never looked back. As far as baked chicken recipes go, I have many favourites including this honey za’atar chicken and this mediterranean chicken, but this one wins for the quickest and easiest prep!

How to Make Harissa Chicken – Step By Step

Gather all the ingredients. My preference for recipes that bake chicken is to always use bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces so they remain juicy throughout the bake time.

Ingredient shot with sliced onions in a yellow and green bowl, a small bowl with coriander, cumin and salt, a small white bowl with lemon juice, a small white bowl with red harissa paste, a small white bowl with minced garlic, a glass bowl with chicken legs and thighs on a light blue and white background.

Combine all of the spices with the harissa paste, garlic, onion slices and lemon juice and marinate the chicken. I’ve tested this recipe with an overnight marination time, a 4 hour marination time and no marination. While all are delicious, the longer you marinate, the more enhanced the flavour.

Chicken legs and thighs marinated in a red paste with sliced onions in a metal bowl on a marble background.
Chicken legs and thighs marinated in a red coloured marinade with sliced onions and sliced red peppers on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Lay the chicken flat on a parchment lined baking sheet. I love throwing in slices of red peppers, and you can also add other vegetables like potatoes, carrots and cauliflower. If using potatoes, make sure they are cut into thin wedges so they cook at the same time as the chicken. Bake until the chicken is cooked, at 425F for about 40 minutes.

Honey and butter melted together in a small white bowl being held on top of baked red chicken thighs and legs and sliced red peppers with a pastry brush in the bowl.
Baked red chicken legs and thighs and sliced red peppers with a pastry brush brushing one of the chicken thighs.

The final step (and the most important one!) is to brush the tops of the chicken pieces with the honey and butter mixture, then place it back in the oven and broil it for a minute or so. Make sure you stay close and keep an eye on it, because the honey will burn very quickly (I nearly burned half the pieces when I first tried it with honey).

Baked red chicken with sliced red peppers on a rectangular white platter with a black and white striped tea towel on a speckled background.

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Baked red chicken with sliced red peppers on a rectangular white platter with a green glass of water, a black and white striped tea towel, a wooden handled knife and a small plate of parsley leaves on a speckled background.
5 from 2 ratings

Oven Baked Harissa Chicken (with Honey Glaze)

Yield: 6 Servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Author: Amina Al-Saigh
Chicken is baked to perfection after being marinated in a flavourful and spicy harissa paste. The honey butter glaze adds the perfect touch of sweetness to this easy weeknight meal. Serve with a salad and some bread!
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 kg bone-in, skin on chicken legs and thighs, 10-11 pieces
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ onion, thinly sliced
  • 6 tablespoons harissa paste, See notes
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 red pepper, cored and sliced into strips
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, place in the chicken legs and add the minced garlic, sliced onion, harissa paste, cumin, coriander, salt and lemon juice. Mix well, cover and seal with plastic wrap or transfer to an air tight container and marinate for 2 hours or overnight for optimal flavour. If short on time, skip this step.
  • Preheat the oven to 425℉. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the marinated chicken on top. Spread out the pieces so that they have room for the heat to circulate around them. Add the sliced red pepper strips. Bake for 40 minutes until the juices run clear when cut with a knife.
  • Combine the melted butter and honey in a small bowl. Brush the chicken with the honey butter mixture using a pastry brush. Place back in the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes until browned.
  • Serve immediately with a side salad, rice or bread.

Notes

  • A high quality authentic harissa paste will impact the final flavour of the dish (I use Mina harissa if you can find it in the USA and Canada). 
  • Some harissa comes in spicy and mild varieties. You will have to adjust the amount you use based on how much spice you can handle. Taste the harissa you buy before you add it into the marinade.
  • You can also toss in other vegetables with the chicken such as potatoes (cut into thin wedges), onions, or carrots. Make sure to season with salt and pepper.
Serving: 1Serving, Calories: 223kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 89mg, Sodium: 862mg, Potassium: 260mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 104IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 1mg
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