Roast chicken with harissa and couscous

Addictive chicken with juicy flesh and crispy skin, sweet, sour, spicy flavors

Jan 03, 2025

∙ Paid

The last few days have been extremely hard for various reasons. I’ve been feeling exhausted, disheartened and a bit disoriented by the circumstances, and as a result, it’s been impossible to come here and share anything.

This place, however, has always been a refuge for me and it brings me joy to communicate with all of you through my food, so I decided to come here, to this beloved blog of mine, and share this dish.

This roast chicken with harissa and couscous has graced our dinner table many a time and not without good reason. S and I love spicy flavors and harissa is nothing if not spicy. It is a chilli pepper paste hailing from Tunisia although versions of it can be found in other North African countries like Algeria, Libya and Morocco. Each country has their twist to it which makes it their own, but the basic ingredients are the same. Hot red chilli peppers, olive oil, garlic, salt and spices like cumin, caraway and coriander. In some regions harissa is smoked, in others it is not. The texture varies as well from region to region with the paste having a thick or looser texture, or being smoother or chunkier.

Harissa is served with all kinds of meals and snacks, on top of bread, in stews, with meat or fish, grains and vegetables. I love smearing it on top of my bread, but also in meat and legume stews. One of my very favorite, though, is this one with chicken which is simply delicious.

The chicken gets a good rub with a mixture of harissa, garlic, olive oil, lemon and honey, and is roasted in the oven on a bed of thinly sliced lemon. The result is a highly addictive chicken with juicy flesh and crispy skin —oh that skin!— with spicy notes from the harissa but also sweetness from the honey and acidity from the lemon that tempers the fiery flavor of the Tunisian chilli paste.

The purpose of the lemon slices at the bottom of the pan is not only to make the chicken juicy and aromatic but to also accompany it in the finished dish. The lemon, in small doses, provides that pleasant sharpness that complements beautifully the heat of the harissa. The mint couscous is there to soak up all the lovely juices from the chicken, provide freshness and elevate the dish.

P.S. The situation in my country, Greece, saddens me deeply. I won’t go into details. I’m just hoping for the best…