Harissa Honey Chicken
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This harissa honey chicken is the most delicious honey glazed chicken ever. The sweet and sticky sauce is spiced with harissa, a North African paste that is super flavorful. You’ll be licking the glaze off your fingers!
Can you remember the last time you were excited about leftovers? Be sure you make enough of this honey harissa chicken so that you have some to put a finger-lickin’, happy-go-lucky smile on your face for lunch tomorrow, too!
This harissa honey chicken recipe is an excellent weeknight meal. And since the honey tempers the heat of the harissa, there’s a great chance the kids will lick it up, too!
What is harissa honey chicken?
This dish is made with juicy chicken thighs that are smothered in a sweet, tangy, sticky glaze. The sauce is perfectly balanced with harissa and honey as the stars of the show, but backed up by apple cider vinegar and some garlic.
This is a baked chicken recipe, so you can put your favorite cast iron skillet to work. With just 5 minutes of prep time, and under an hour total cooking time, you’ll be serving up everyone’s new favorite chicken dish faster than you can say harissa honey chicken!
Is harissa honey chicken spicy?
We need to address what’s on your mind if you haven’t already cooked with harissa paste before! This is a reasonable question to ask since harissa is a chili paste. It does have some heat, but generally speaking, it isn’t super spicy. It tastes peppery and smoky and also has some garlic and citrus notes.
But different brands of harissa can vary a lot in spiciness. We usually use Mina harissa, which is widely available and mildly spicy. Taste your harissa before adding it to the recipe and if it tastes too spicy, you can use less.
The best part about this harissa honey chicken recipe is that the harissa is balanced with honey so you get more of a sweet and spiced combination.
Turn this into Cava harissa honey chicken
Maybe you’ve tried the harissa honey chicken from Cava? Even if you haven’t, here’s how you can make downright delicious harissa honey chicken right at home!
- Prep and cook the chicken thighs: Season both sides of your chicken thighs with salt and pepper and then place them in an oven-proof pan. Drizzle the oil over the top and then bake the chicken until it is cooked through.
- Make the honey harissa sauce: Whisk the honey, harissa, vinegar, and garlic in a small pot over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil and then continue to boil it, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Drain fat: Remove the chicken from the oven and carefully drain off all the liquid in the pan.
- Glaze the chicken: Pour the harissa honey sauce over the chicken and then return the chicken to the oven and broil it for about 5 minutes, until the top of the chicken looks sticky and starts to darken.
- Garnish and serve: Serve the chicken with some cilantro over the top and enjoy!
Quick tip
If your oven broils at higher than 500 degrees Fahrenheit, don’t broil this chicken or it will burn. Simply turn your oven up to 500 degrees and put the pan on a rack in the top third of your oven. You may need to leave it in the oven for a few extra minutes.
What to serve with harissa honey chicken
Your options are truly endless, that’s one of the reasons this makes such a perfect dinnertime protein! You can pair it with your family’s favorite sides or pull on this list for some inspiration:
- Greens: you can easily serve this chicken with a salad and keep things light, like a cucumber tomato salad, or this roasted beet and kale salad.
- Starch: You can snuggle this chicken right up to any one of these starches, like grilled corn on the cob, roasted fingerling potatoes, or lemon butter orzo.
- Middle Eastern-inspired: since harissa has Middle Eastern roots (as well as North African) you can serve this honey harissa chicken with some pita and hummus or a beautiful basmati rice dish.
- Mediterranean- inspired: if you have Cava harissa honey chicken on the brain, this one’s for you! You can slice up the chicken and add it to a rice bowl or wrap.
Recipe FAQ
Can I use chicken breasts for harissa honey chicken?
Yep, you sure can. Chicken thighs tend to have more flavor and are less dry than the breasts. If you prefer breasts though, this recipe is definitely customizable so feel free to use them instead.
Can I use skinless chicken thighs?
You can remove the skin or purchase skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. The recipe as written uses skin-on chicken thighs, for added crispiness and flavor.
Can I marinate the chicken in advance?
Definitely! You can use the harissa honey recipe as a marinade and let the chicken sit, covered, in the fridge to allow the flavors to really develop.
Harissa Honey Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup harissa
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 clove garlic (very finely minced)
- Minced cilantro (to serve)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Season both sides of your chicken thighs with salt and pepper and then place them in an oven-proof pan. Drizzle the oil over the top and then bake the chicken for 35-40 minutes, until it is cooked through. The juices should run clear and the internal temperature should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit.8 bone-in chicken thighs, 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. Whisk the honey, harissa, vinegar, and garlic in a small pot over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil and continue to boil it, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat.½ cup honey, ¼ cup harissa, 2 clove garlic, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Turn the oven to broil – see notes. Remove the chicken from the oven and carefully drain off all the liquid in the pan.Minced cilantro
- Pour the harissa honey sauce over the chicken then return the chicken to the oven and broil for about 5 minutes, until the top of the chicken looks sticky and starts to darken. Serve the chicken with some cilantro over the top.
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
I cannot wait to try this recipe. It sounds so delicious. Thank you so much for sharing! I love harissa and am always looking for new ways to use it!
Hi,
When you say white vinegar, do you mean white wine vinegar or general white distilled vinegar?
I’m making this just tomorrow, can’t wait ?
Lizzie
In this recipe, I used white distilled vinegar. If you have white wine vinegar on hand, that would work, too. I hope you like the recipe as much as I do!
I know I’m a year or so late… but i’m going to try this out tonight as a stir fry glaze.
My harissa is in powder form. Do I need to make it into a paste first?!
Hi Abby! I hope I’m not too late in getting back to you. I’ve honestly never worked with powdered harissa before, but since the one I use is a jam-like consistency I would add water to your powder until it is like that.
Hope that helps!
Wow! This turned out so amazing! My boyfriend literally poured the leftover sauce onto his salad as to not waste any and licked his plate clean. This was a huge win! I’ve got leftovers for lunch today and I can’t remember the last time I couldn’t wait to eat leftover lunch Haha Is it noon yet?
Ha ha that is seriously awesome! I’m so pouring the extra sauce over my salad next time I make this, too!! 🙂
Thanks for the pin!!
Just love this North African paste. These chicken thighs look succulent, sticky and absolutely delicious. Always have harissa on hand, so I’ll be making these soon!
It really is one of my favourites too!
Thanks, Nicky!!
Awww thank you so much, Rachael! You seriously just put the biggest smile on my face. 🙂
Oh my goodness, this looks so awesome. I’ve got a roast chicken to make tonight and am looking for a new recipe; do you think this one would work? Should I put on the glaze while it’s roasting (since it’ll be roasting at a lower temp)? Thanks — and thanks for all the great recipes!
Thank you so much, Jennifer!
I would be afraid that the honey in the glaze would burn if you put it on too soon. My suggestion would be to cook the chicken (with no glaze) at the temp your roast chicken is at and then, when the roast is out of the oven, turn up the temp and add the glaze for the final few minutes.
The reason for the high temp at the end is to give a nice rich colour to the chicken and crisp the skin just a touch. 🙂
Hope you love the recipe as much as I do!!
Thanks, Kathleen! Making a big sticky mess when you’re eating is always fun, right?! 🙂
Thanks, Maryanne!!
Thank you so much!!!
Thank you so much, Thalia!!
I want this right now. And totally agree with you about the thighs, so much more flavor.
Thanks, Allyson! And I’m so happy to hear that other people feel the same about chicken breasts. Thighs all the way!
I literally almost fell off my chair when I saw this. OMG. LOOK AT THAT GLAZE!! I love that you have a good balance of flavours, adding a splash of vinegar is key!! And I agree re: breast. World’s most boring meat. Only way I eat it is if it is shredded or loaded with sauce!! 🙂
It’s good to hear I’m not the only one who feels that way! I usually think I’m alone in the world of those who don’t like chicken breasts lol.
These look fabulous. I have always been curious about harissa and this recipe gives me a great reason to finally go buy some to try out. Thanks.
Thanks, Nguyet!