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This Harissa Chicken and Spinach is packed with a punch of heat. Juicy Harissa chicken is baked with spinach, chiles, and extra spices for a delicious and easy sheet pan dinner.
Easy Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken and Spinach
Harrissa chicken and spinach is packed with a peppery, smokey flavor that’s sure to turn up the heat. Harissa is a fiery sauce, but when you combine it with red chilies, you’ve got an intensely spicy dish, so if you’re looking for a spicy kick, this easy sheet pan harissa chicken and spinach is just what your taste buds are craving.
Although this chicken is bursting with spicy flavors, don’t let that scare you. You can control the heat by adding more or less harissa. Additionally, you can leave the chilis out if you want to tame the heat.
How To Make Baked Harissa Chicken and Spinach
Using a simple harissa marinade, this chicken recipe is so simple to make. The marinade literally does all the work. Here’s what you’ll need for a quick and easy sheet pan dinner:
- Chicken thighs– I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you could use bone-in or chicken breasts if you prefer.
- Harissa paste– Harissa paste is a very peppery, smokey paste. It’s made from roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers, and other spices and gives your chicken tons of flavor.
- Red chiles– Chiles make this dish even spicier, but if you want to tame down the heat, feel free to leave them out.
- Spinach– To make this recipe quick and easy, I used frozen spinach that was thawed and drained. You could use fresh spinach if you prefer.
- Olive oil– Oil helps to combine the ingredients. You could use canola oil or vegetable oil as well.
- Chicken stock– Adding chicken stock helps keep your chicken flavorful and juicy while it bakes.
- Minced garlic– You can use premade minced garlic found in a jar in the spice aisle at your local grocery store.
- Onion– Dice your onion up into small pieces.
- Spices– You will also need salt and pepper to add just the perfect flavor combination.
All you need to do for this recipe is marinate and bake. Marinades are the easiest way to create tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken with very little prep. Follow the steps below.
- First, add your harissa paste, salt, pepper, onions, and olive oil to a plastic ziploc bag or a large bowl. Add the chicken thighs and toss to marinate.
- Then, cover your chicken or close the bag and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30-minutes.
- While the chicken is in the refrigerator, preheat your oven to 350?. Then, place the rack in your oven to the center position.
- After about 30-minutes, remove the chicken and onions from the marinade and place it on a sheet pan.
- Bake the chicken for 20-minutes. Then, flip the chicken and stir the onions.
- Add the stock and spinach to the pan and bake for an additional 20-minutes.
- Serve with your favorite sides and Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks to Perfect Harissa Chicken and Spinach and FAQs:
- For more flavorful chicken, let it marinate overnight. The flavors will seep into the chicken more the longer they marinate.
- Place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of one of your chicken thighs. The chicken needs to have an internal temperature of 165?. If it doesn’t, continue baking the chicken until it reaches 165?.
FAQs
For this recipe, you will bake the chicken at 350? for a total of 40-minutes. After 20-minutes, you will add the spinach and bake it at the same temperature.
Most of the time required for this recipe is allowing the chicken to marinate and bake. You’ll need about 5-minutes to mix all the ingredients, 30-minutes to marinate, and 40-minutes to bake your chicken. So, the recipe should take you a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Harissa paste is sold at most grocery stores in a jar near the chili sauces or in the spice aisle. You can also get it from Amazon. When buying harissa paste, be sure to look at the ingredients because not all harissa is the same. It should contain peppers as the first ingredient along with garlic, olive oil, cumin, caraway, and cardamom.
Yes, you can find a mild harissa paste. In fact, many brands sell both hot and mild varieties. If you are looking for a spicy dish, choose the hot. But, if you want a sweeter, more floral pepper flavor, go for the mild. If the brand does not say hot or mild then it is most likely hot.
Harissa chicken and spinach can be stored in your refrigerator for 3-5 days. Make sure to put any leftovers in an airtight container or a tupperware bowl with a lid.
Absolutely! In fact, baked harissa chicken and spinach makes for a great freezer meal. You can store it in the freezer cooked or uncooked for several months. Be sure to place it in a ziploc freezer bag before storing it, and thaw it in the refrigerator before cooking or reheating.
What To Serve With Harissa Chicken and Spinach
You can serve harissa chicken and spinach with rice, pita bread, vegetables, or potatoes. Garlic Butter Roasted Potatoes, Easy Air Fryer Broccoli, and Easy Keto Naan are some of my favorite sides to make with this dish. And, Chipotle Knockoff Cilantro Lime Rice adds a nice mix of flavors while taming the heat from the chicken.
For more delicious chicken recipes, click here.
Baked Harissa Chicken and Spinach Recipe
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Baked Harissa Chicken and Spinach
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs
- ¼ cup harissa paste
- 4-5 red chiles
- 8 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- salt
- pepper
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Add chicken thighs, harissa paste, salt, pepper, onions, and olive oil to plastic bag or large bowl and toss to marinate, covered, in the refrigerator, for at least 30 minutes up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and arrange rack to center position.
- Add chicken thighs to pan with onions.
- Cook 20 minutes. Flip chicken thighs and stir onions.
- Stir in stock and spinach to pan with chicken and onions.
- Bake additional 20 minutes, until chicken has reached 165 degrees internal temperature with a digital thermometer.
- If you'd like a bit of extra browning, you can broil chicken or pop in a pan to sear.
- Serve with rice, pita, vegetables, or potatoes.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
