Easy Honey Harissa Chicken Recipe

a fork holding a slice of harissa chicken dunking it into white garlic sauce.

This honey harissa chicken recipe is easily one of my favorite chicken recipes to make. It's sweet from the honey, spicy from the harissa marinade, and it tastes just like CAVA.

Course Main Course, meat

Cuisine african, American, Mediterranean

Keyword cava, chicken, copycat recipe, grilled recipe, harissa, honey

Prep Time 4

Cook Time 15

Servings people

Equipment

Ingredients

2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (or thighs) thinly sliced
2 tablespoon Harissa Sauce
2 tablespoon Olive oil
2 tablespoon Lemon juice
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
¼ cup Honey divided

Instructions

FOR THE HARISSA MARINADE

Make the Marinade: Add the harissa sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and one tablespoon of the honey to a large bowl or ziplock bag.
Prep the Chicken: Trim the fat off then cut each of the boneless skinless chicken breasts down into smaller chunks - about 4 thin pieces per breast to ensure that the chicken cooks evenly. (If you're making harissa chicken thighs rather than breasts, you do not need to cut them down into smaller pieces.)
Marinate the Chicken: Marinate the spicy chicken at least four hours if you can - although one hour works just fine if you're in a pinch. When you're ready to cook it, allow it to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes to get the most tender chicken imaginable.

STOVETOP METHOD

Heat up a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is smoking, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and move it around to coat the cook surface.
Carefully add half of the chicken, and cook for a about 5 minutes on each side so that there is a nice sear on the outter crust.
If the juices aren't running clear after being cooked on both sides, turn the heat down to low for an additional few minutes to ensure that the chicken is cooked through.
Once the meat thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165F degrees, then it's time to pull the chicken out of the frying pan and let it rest. Repeat the process for the second half of the chicken.
After a few minutes of resting, cut the chicken into bite size pieces and drizzle with the remaining honey. Toss everything together and taste - seasoning with more kosher salt and black pepper if needed.

GRILL METHOD

Preheat your grill over high heat. Then add the marinated chicken (depending on the size of your grill, you can do this all at once) and allow it to cook for 5 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear and an internal temperature of 165F degrees has been reached.
After it's pulled from the grill, let it rest for a few minutes then cut the chicken into bite size pieces and drizzle with the remaining honey. Toss everything together and taste - seasoning with more kosher salt and black pepper if needed.