Baked Harissa Chicken Breast

I'm totally hooked on harissa lately. I made a large batch of homemade harissa and have been incorporating it into a number of recipes, and it has been, quite frankly, fabulous. As a couple of chili pepper and zesty food lovers, it is smart and convenient to have something like a homemade harissa on hand in the refrigerator for when you want big flavor fast.

Same goes for this homemade harissa sauce, made with fresh roasted peppers and lots of wonderful seasonings. 

Harissa is a North African chili paste used to flavor many, many dishes. It is very popular in Middle Eastern cuisine. It is something you can swirl into soups or stews, rub into chicken wings, or in this case, season some healthy baked chicken breasts. 

You can easily purchase harissa and harissa sauce from grocery stores, though I prefer to make my own. I like to make a large batch and keep it in the refrigerator for dishes like this, quick baked chicken breast rubbed down with my favorite harissa. It's HUGE on flavor, and so convenient for easy weeknight cooking.

Let's talk about how we make the recipe, shall we?

Baked Harissa Chicken Breasts Ingredients

For the Baked Chicken Breasts

• Chicken. 4 medium-sized chicken breasts
• Harissa. 1 cup Harissa sauce (Use store bought, or use my homemade harissa sauce recipe)

For the Homemade Harissa Sauce

• Roasted Peppers. Use 2 roasted red bell peppers and 1 roasted jalapeno pepper (or use hotter peppers - see How to Roast Peppers)
• Seasonings. 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon dried mint, salt and pepper to taste.
• Garlic. 6 garlic cloves chopped
• Oil. 3 tablespoons neutral oil canola oil or vegetable oil. Olive oil is good, too.
• Lemon Juice. Juice from 1/2 to 1 lemon

How to Make Baked Harissa Chicken Breast - the Recipe Method

Make the Homemade Harissa Sauce. Heat a small pan to medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, caraway seeds and cumin seeds and dry toast them for 1-2 minutes, shaking the pan a bit, until the seeds become fragrant.

Transfer the seeds to a mortar along with the paprika, chili flakes, mint and salt. Grind them down with a pestle.

Pour the spice mixture into the food processor along with the roasted peppers. Add the fresh garlic, oil and lemon juice. Process until smooth.

Bake the Chicken. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Rub each chicken breast down with a few tablespoons harissa sauce. Set the chicken onto a lightly oiled baking dish or oven safe pan and bake them for 25 minutes to 30 minutes, or until they are cooked through. The internal temperature should measure 165 degrees F when measured with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast.

Remove the cooked chicken breasts from heat. Spoon or baste on extra harissa sauce.

Serve with your favorite side dish, such as rice, pasta or vegetables, with extra harissa sauce on the side.

Boom! Done! Super easy baked harissa chicken breast, my friends! This is the perfect, simple weeknight juicy chicken dinner. Make the harissa sauce ahead of time so you can whip this recipe up on no time. Or use your favorite store bought brand of harissa! I prefer homemade.

Storage & Leftovers

Storing your Baked Harissa Chicken Breast in an airtight container in the fridge may allow you to store the leftovers for up to 3-4 days (2-6 months in the freezer). To maximize the storage life, make sure to refrigerate the chicken promptly.

Do You Love Harissa? Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes with Harissa

• Colossal Grilled Shrimp with Harissa Marinade
• Homemade Harissa Chili Paste
• Grilled Harissa Chicken Legs
• Salsa Chicken
• Peri Peri Chicken
• Buffalo Chicken
• Szechuan Chicken
• Chicken Saag
• Chicken Fricassee
• Chicken Paprikash
• Pollo Guisado (Chicken Stew)
• See all of my Spicy Chicken Recipes. So many!

Also, try my Peri Peri Chicken Legs recipe. Delicious!