Chicken quarters rubbed with a deep flavored chili sauce called Harissa brings a new flavor to your grill.  For anyone who likes a bit of heat, this grilled chicken is the hot ticket.  The perfect dish to serve your adventurous friends at your next backyard BBQ.

We enjoyed the spicy harissa chicken with some warmed naan bread, cucumber riata (to cool the heat), and a chickpea and couscous salad. What an exciting combination of flavors, and so easy to do. Next time you are looking for something a bit different to serve at a backyard barbecue, I hope you will give this a try. You and your guests will be astonished at the deep, rich, flavor of this tender chicken.

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Harissa Grilled Chicken

Tender grilled chicken covered in a spicy deep flavored chili sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Moroccan, North African

Prep Time 3 hours hours

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 4 chicken quarters
• 1 cup harissa

Instructions

• Rub chicken with harissa paste, covering all surfaces.
• Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 hours.
• Heat grill on high. Turn off one half of the grill.
• On the side with no heat, place the chicken on a wire rack over a pan with about on inch of water in the bottom (indirect method).
• Close the lid, and cook for about 40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165° F. (Cooking time will vary drastically depending on your cut of chicken. I used quarters which took about 50 minutes).
• Allow chicken to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Chicken thighs or breast work equally as well for this dish.  I highly recommend wearing gloves when working with Harissa. 

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Harissa

Peppers, garlic, and spices are used to create an amazingly deep flavored chili sauce called harissa.

Course Sauce

Cuisine North African

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

• 10-12 dried red chili peppers
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Instructions

• Soak the dried chilies in hot water for 30 – 45 minutes. Drain. Remove stems and seeds (I kept about half of the seeds to add heat).
• Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree.
• Store harissa in the refrigerator in a tightly closed jar.

Notes

I find it very helpful to wear gloves when handling hot peppers.

I am not afraid of flavor.  I enjoy food that is bold and rich in taste, and I also enjoy some heat in my dish. Of course I stock all the usual kitchen spices including various types of chili powders, cayenne pepper, Cajun and creole spices, Chinese red pepper, and an assortment of other heat related sauces and powders, but nothing kicks it up a notch like this crazy mixture of assorted peppers.

I begin in the fall collecting peppers of every kind. Habanero, serrano, thai hot, cayenne, red chili, cherry red, hungarian wax, jalapeno, anaheim, paprika red, italian cherry, ancho, and whatever else I can get my hands on.  Just a few of each will yield a lot of chili powder. For drying I use some of my bamboo steamer baskets, placing the peppers in single layers with space around them for air to circulate.  These baskets work great as the bamboo allows the moisture to escape and they stack up to save space.  I let the peppers dry for about 4 months to make sure all moisture is gone.

I begin by putting on some latex gloves, this is most important.  I get my gloves at Rite Aid.  I like the fit and the feel of the medical glove for my projects, the bulk boxes are cost effective and they come in different sizes because really, one size does not fit all.  I trim all the stems off of the peppers with a sharp knife, being sure to discard peppers that show any sign of mold or mildew.  There are always a few that do not seem to dry properly.  Toss them and move on.  I use my small cuisinart food processor to grind the dried peppers into powder.  Working in batches, I fill the bowl about half full of peppers, seeds and all and grind, grind, grind. For storage, I remove labels from empty spice jars I save.  The Container Store also offers an impressive selection of jars in different sizes and shapes which can also make great gifts.