Flavorful harissa chicken thighs collide with tender roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas in this flavor-packed sheet pan dinner.
If you’re looking for a welcome change from the heavy Christmas food this week…we’ve got the sheet pan dinner for you!
Spicy, flavorful harissa takes this chicken sheet pan dinner to another level and it’s paired alongside tender roasted sweet potato cubes and chickpeas.
It’s filling, nourishing, and an absolute flavor bomb. You need it.
With the exception of a quick sear on the chicken, this dinner is roasted nearly entirely on one sheet pan for easy clean-up and uses only a handful of ingredients. Ticking all the dinner boxes today!
This Harissa Chicken features…
- Juicy chicken thighs smothered in spicy harissa
- Tender roasted sweet potatoes, sweet onion, and chickpeas
- Minutes to throw together with only a handful of ingredients
Making the Harissa Chicken
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Sweet potatoes
- Sweet onion
- Chickpeas
- Harissa
- Olive oil
- Chicken thighs
- Unsalted butter
- Lime juice
- Honey
- Cilantro
Choosing Your Chicken
We recommend using bone-in chicken thighs for this recipe. This cut of chicken is best suited for this dish because it cooks up with perfectly crispy skin and a very juicy texture inside.
Boneless chicken thighs may also be used in this recipe, however, they will cook up quite a bit faster than bone-in thighs and you will need to keep an eye on them while they bake to avoid overcooking.
If you don’t have thighs on hand, boneless skinless chicken breasts will also work great in this recipe. They won’t cook up quite as juicy as thighs but they will still be delicious.
Tips for Perfect Harissa Chicken
- Cut sweet potatoes into uniform cubes – we recommend 1-inch cubes for even roasting.
- Pre-roast sweet potatoes and chickpeas – these will take longer to cook than the chicken so you will need to roast these first until almost tender before adding the chicken to sheet pan. If you find the vegetables end up being done before the chicken, remove them from the sheet pan and continue baking chicken.
- Pan sear chicken – this helps the skin crisp up and gets a jumpstart on cooking the chicken.
- Top chicken and vegetable with fresh lime and cilantro after roasting – this adds a perfect final punch of flavor.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this recipe.
- Use different vegetables – try using mushrooms, sweet peppers, butternut squash, or broccoli.
- Serve chicken with rice – steamed rice is a perfect side dish alongside this chicken.
What is Harissa?
Harissa is a Middle Eastern chile paste. It’s primarily made up of smoked chile peppers, roasted red peppers, spices, garlic, olive oil, and tomatoes.
Harissa is very flavorful, but also packs a bit of a punch so use it sparingly and taste as you go! If you’re sensitive to spice, you can easily leave it out or cut back the amount.
You can find harissa in a Middle Eastern store/market as well as the international section of most major grocery stores. I’ve also bought it on Amazon before.
The harissa really does take this chicken and sweet potatoes to another level! It’s a little spicy, packed with bold flavors, and the little bit of fresh lime and cilantro at the end does wonders.
Pure sheet pan dinner goals right here!
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More sheet pan recipes to try next!
Harissa Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium sweet onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup harissa paste, divided
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1-1/2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs (about 4 thighs)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
- Fresh lime wedges and cilantro for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and lightly grease a large sheet pan. Toss sweet potatoes, onion, chickpeas, 2 tablespoons harissa, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste together and arrange in a single layer.
- Roast vegetables at 400F 20-25 minutes until sweet potatoes are crisp-tender. Remove from oven and keep oven on.
- Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Heat butter and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted and hot. Place chicken thighs skin-side down and sear 3-5 minutes on both sides until golden brown.
- Remove chicken from skillet and arrange on sheet pan with vegetables. Set aside for a moment.
- In a small bowl, mix remaining 1/4 cup harissa with lime juice and honey until smooth and season with salt to taste. Use a spoon to spread harissa sauce over chicken thighs.
- Roast chicken and vegetables at 400F 15-20 minutes until chicken registers 165F and vegetables are tender. Serve chicken and vegetables warm with fresh lime wedges and additional cilantro on top. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply