Bring on the heat with bold and spicy Harissa Chicken, made with chicken marinated in a fiery homemade harissa sauce. Toss it on the grill for smoky, flame-kissed flavor, or bake it up in the oven for an easy anytime meal. It's bursting with North African spice and perfect for heat lovers.
Looking for a new spin on your baked or grilled chicken? My Harissa Chicken is ready to deliver big flavor.
We’re talking juicy, tender pieces of whole cut-up chicken marinated in a spicy, smoky harissa sauce, then grilled to perfection. It’s loaded with North African flavor and just the right amount of heat.
Don’t have a grill? No worries. I’ve included a baked version too, so you can enjoy this any time of year.
What is Harissa?
Harissa is a versatile North African chili paste made with roasted peppers, hot chilies, and vibrant spices. It is used to flavor soups, stews, and sauces, but also as a marinade for chicken and other meats.
What You'll Love About This Recipe
- Big, Bold Flavor. Harissa brings the heat with smoky, spicy, and tangy depth in every bite.
- Simple Prep, Huge Payoff. Just marinate and grill or bake, easy enough for weeknights, impressive enough for guests.
- Perfect for the Grill. Chicken stays juicy and tender with crispy, flame-kissed skin, but you can bake it easily, too!
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken. I'm using a whole cut up chicken for this recipe, though you can use any cut of chicken. This recipe works for either bone-in or boneless chicken, with or without the skins. Chicken thighs are great for this - harissa chicken thighs! Just be sure to adjust your cooking times to the cut of chicken.
- Harissa. Harissa is a flavorful North African paste made with spiced red chili peppers. I use my own homemade harissa paste, or use your favorite store bought brand. My homemade version is spicy hot, though you can adjust to your preference.
- For the Harissa Marinade. You'll need lemon juice, olive oil, chili powder or smoked paprika, spicy chili flakes (for extra spicy), oregano, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Additional Marinade Ingredients (optional): Add 1 tablespoon honey for a touch of sweetness, or 1/2 cup yogurt for a creamy (and tenderizing) version. Also, fresh garlic is nice.
- For Serving. Fresh herbs and extra spicy chili flakes for serving.
How to Make Harissa Chicken - The Recipe Method
Prep the Chicken. Pat the chicken dry and set them into a plastic bag or a large bowl.
Prepare the Harissa Marinade. Pour your harissa, olive oil, lemon juice and seasonings (+ optional ingredients) to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. It should be fairly thick but not too thick, enough to stick to the chicken.
Rub the chicken with the marinade. Really get it in there, rubbing it into the skins and even under the skins if you can manage.
Marinate the Chicken. Cover the chicken or seal the bag and set it into the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours. Overnight is great if you can plan for it for greater flavor penetration.
For those in a hurry, you will still benefit greatly from a 2-hour marinade.
Grill the Chicken. Oil your grill grates and fire it up to medium heat. Grill the chicken for 35-40 minutes each, flipping every 5 minutes or so to avoid burning. The skins will get nice and crispy with a nice smoky flavor.
Or Bake the Chicken. Bake the chicken for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
The chicken is done when they measure 165 degrees F internally. I like to use my ThermoPop meat thermometer from ThermoWorks (I'm an affiliate). Works great! Cooking time can vary, so be sure to check your temperatures.
For Serving. To finish them, serve them onto a serving plate and sprinkle them with fresh herbs, spicy chili flakes, maybe some black pepper. A bit of fresh lemon juice would be nice, too! Or brush with your favorite sauce!
These are incredible! I can't wait to make another batch! So PERFECT for summertime grilling. Spicy chicken all around.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Flipping or turning the chicken as they grill is very important, so be sure to follow this method. It will help keep the marinade on the chicken from burning and charring.
- You can close the grill lid to speed up cooking a bit, but don't forget to turn them.
- Keep a meat thermometer handy to measure the internal temperatures to make sure they are cooked through. If you overcook them a little bit, they'll still be rather juicy and flavorful.
- You can make a harissa marinade out of a harissa spice mix by combining several tablespoons of the blend with oil, lemon juice and other spices, or use store-bought harissa. You can also incorporate yogurt into the marinade, or serve with a spicy yogurt sauce. Tasty!
Serving Suggestions
Serve your harissa chicken with a cooling yogurt-based sauce, like my Cucumber-Yogurt Raita. Some of my favorite sides for this dish include Cuban Black Beans, Mexican Rice, or Honey-Roasted Carrots.
Storage & Leftovers
Store any leftover harissa chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes to warm them through and help re-crisp the skin, or microwave in short bursts if you're in a hurry (just know the skin won’t stay crisp).
You can also freeze the chicken in the marinade for easy meal prep - just thaw overnight in the fridge, then grill or bake as directed for a quick, flavorful dinner anytime.
Want More Recipe Ideas?
If you enjoy Harissa Chicken, you'll love my Peri Peri Chicken or Grilled Peri Peri Chicken Wings, which have similar spicy flavors with a twist, as well as my Huli Huli Chicken recipe, Italian Chicken Cacciatore, Mexican Chicken Drumsticks with Pumpkin Seed Sauce (Pipian Rojo), or this Ethiopian Doro Wat Recipe (Ethiopian Chicken Stew).
Chicken Shawarma is always a hit with Middle Eastern flavors.
Want more for grilling? Try my Grilled Pork Chops with South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce or my Grilled Salmon with Honey-Sriracha Sauce. Extra saucy for me, please!
Do You Love Harissa? Try Some of These Other Popular Recipes with Harissa
- Colossal Grilled Shrimp with Harissa Marinade
- Harissa Rubbed Baked Chicken Breasts
- Harissa Sauce Recipe
Also try my Cajun Oven Baked Chicken Thighs recipe. So good!
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! -- Mike H.
Harissa Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 whole cut-up chicken
- 1/2 cup harissa paste (use my homemade harissa paste recipe)
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon spicy chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh herbs and extra spicy chili flakes for serving
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry and set them into a plastic bag or a large bowl.
- Add the harissa, lemon juice, olive oil and seasonings to a food processor and process until smooth. Pour it into the bag or bowl with the chicken.
- Rub the chicken down with the harissa marinade. Really rub it into the skins.
- Cover and set the chicken into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Leaving them overnight will result in more developed flavor.
- Fire up the grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grates. Grill the chicken for about 35-40 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes to keep from burning, until they are cooked through. (Or bake the chicken for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.) Chicken should measure 165 degrees F internally to serve.
- Sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs and chili flakes.
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 5/20/25 to include new information. It was originally published on 7/6/18.
Eric says
Chili powder as in the American spice?
"1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon spicy chili flakes"
Mike Hultquist says
Eric, that is correct.