Roasted Harissa Chicken with Sun Dried Olives

This is what I like to call a 2-for-1 dinner — something you make once and eat twice. Chicken legs get marinated in harissa, then roasted on a beg of carrots, turnips, potatoes, shallots and sun dried black olives. A bit of vermouth gets added to the bottom of the roasting pan to make a delicious pan sauce that feels elevated, but also works as a great excuse to use up that bottle in the back of your fridge. You can eat the same thing two nights in a row, or use the leftovers to make a spiced carrot soup.

Equipment

Here's everything you need to make my roasted harissa chicken with sun dried olives:

• 16" x 10" baking dish
• chef's knife
• cutting board
• large bowl
• foil or oven-safe lid

You can get the full instructions and ingredients list below!

Cooking Tips

1. This recipe calls for chicken legs because I'm fed up with the price of chicken thighs! Legs seem to be the most affordable cut at the grocery store and this method is perfect for them. The chicken gets slowly roasted until it's tender enough to fall off the bone, while the skin gets brown and crispy with the help of a little basting. That said, if you already have some bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs in the fridge/freezer, those would also work well!
2. Vermouth gives this pan sauce an elevated feel, but really it's an excuse to use up that bottle in the back of your fridge. When it comes to weeknight cooking I'm hesitant to open a bottle of wine for a recipe. Vermouth, on the other hand, is more likely to already be open (maybe because I'm a martini girl?), so adding it feels less wasteful! If you don't have either, ⅓ cup water with the juice of 1 lemon, or 2 tablespoon of white wine vinegar, will do the trick.
3. Sun dried black olives are kinda fancy but they add a rich saltiness that I absolutely love. Look out for them at the olive counter, but if they're nowhere to be found some classic pitted green olives get the job done. You just want something a little brine-y and bright to put a little umph in every bite.
4. Serve it with... a nice parsley salad and a dollop of Greek yogurt, or take it a step further with this blue cheese and pear salad.

Cook once, eat twice!

I'm calling it a 2-for-1 dinner — follow the recipe below on night one, then for night two, either reheat the leftovers, or turn them into a delicious spiced carrot soup. All you'll need for the latter is the following:

• 4 cups of broth (or enough to cover the roasted vegetables in the blender)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• 1 lemon

To make the soup, just transfer leftover roast veg to a blender and cover with broth. I like using chicken, but whatever you have in the pantry will do! Blend until smooth, then transfer to a pot with enough water to loosen it up to your liking. Add in the paprika and cumin, then give it a good stir and bring to a simmer. Serve it with some chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon — that's literally it!

Roasted Harissa Chicken with Sun Dried Black Olives

5 from 1 vote

The perfect weeknight chicken bake

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 4 bone-in chicken legs or 6 bone-in., skin-on chicken thighs
• 3 shallots
• 400 g carrots about 3 large
• 600 g yellow potatoes about 2 large
• 300 g turnips about 2 large
• ¼ cup harissa paste
• ½ cup pitted sun dried black olives or pitted green olives
• ⅓ cup dry vermouth
• 4 tbsp honey
• 3 cloves garlic
• olive oil
• salt I'm using Diamond Crystal Kosher

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a large bowl add 4 bone-in chicken legs and cover with ¼ cup harissa, 3 tablespoon olive oil and 2 teaspoon salt. Use your hands to cover the chicken all over in the marinade.
3. Scrub 400g carrots, 600g potatoes and 300g turnips clean, then cut into bite-sized pieces, about 1-2 inches. Next, cut 3 shallots into quarters and peel and smash 3 cloves garlic. Transfer the veg to a 16" x 10" baking dish and cover with ¼ cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss to evenly coat, then cover with ⅓ cup dry vermouth.
4. Place the marinated chicken skin side up and cover with a generous drizzle of honey, about 1 tablespoon per leg. Cover in foil and roast at 400°F for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and continue roasting for another 30 minutes. Baste the chicken in the juices at the bottom of the pan, and finish roasting until the skin is dark brown and crispy, about 15 minutes.