It feels as if it’s gone from winter to summer here in Indiana, skipping spring altogether. Even though this One Pan Harissa Chicken with Peppers & Mint is cooked in the oven it still has a summery feel & is really one of those recipes that transcends all seasons. What I love about it: it’s all cooked in one pan & takes a minimal amount of time to prepare. Lots of sweet peppers, onion, garlic with a splash of vinegar provide a bed for the chicken, which is smeared in harissa paste, to rest. The oven does all the work for you. Leaving you time to pour a cocktail, go for a swim, organize the family or whatever it is you can fit into an hour.
Our kitchen reno is well underway & so far, I can still use the kitchen to cook but it’s in pieces & until today I had to wander from room to room to find cookware & ingredients (that gets old fast). The fridge was moved to the back of the house to allow us to rip up the nine layers of flooring. Good news is we found the original hardwood underneath in good shape, apart from a tar swath through the middle of it. Yesterday the pantry & a baking section were installed (yes, I’ve got a separate baking section!) so I was able to put a lot of things back today alleviating some of the chaos. They’ll be more to come. Having an arsenal of easy meals is key to get us through the house’s biggest part of the renovation process.
About 10 minutes of prep & this baby is ready to be popped into the oven for a little over one hour. And if you’ve never butterflied a chicken before I assure you it’s not as daunting as it sounds. Quite the opposite. A butterflied chicken cooks evenly ensuring all of the meat is succulent & cooked. That’s how I roast chicken now. If you’ve not tried it you must.
I first saw this recipe in Jamie Oliver’s cookbook ‘5 Ingredients’. If you’re in search of a good cookbook with simple & quick to prepare recipes, this is the cookbook for you.
To serve, the chicken just pulls apart – or you can carve it. The veggies, having roasted in the chicken juices, are divine. Then I spoon some of the cooking liquid over the whole lot & drizzle with some plain yogurt. We’re having this for dinner tonight with some spinach & arugula (aka rocket) leaves tossed in a little homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Simple.
There’s also a handful of fresh mint leaves added. I can’t forget those. And done.
I made this today & photgraphed it. Now it’s reheating in the oven & the house is filled with roasted chicken & sweet pepper fragrance. And I’m starving! So off I go to eat. Give this a crack & let me know what you think. I bought the harissa paste on Amazon but good supermarkets will sell it. It comes in both a tube & a jar. My tummy is rumbling so off I go to eat.
Chat to you soon,
And if you’re in need of some other quick & easy meals then take a look at these:
Parmesan & Herb Crusted Salmon
Tortellini with Spinach, Artichokes & Sun-dried Tomatoes
Smoked Salmon & Asparagus Pasta Salad
- 4 colored bell peppers (capsicum)
- 2 red onions
- 2 garlic bulbs, halved
- 1/2 cup golden raisins (sultanas)
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- a good pinch of salt & freshly ground pepper
- 3 lb (1.5kg) whole chicken
- 3 tablespoons harissa (African chili paste)
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- a handful of mint leaves
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33cm) baking pan.
- Quarter peppers & remove, stem seeds & membranes. Scatter over the base of baking pan. Trim, peel & quarter the onions then break apart into petals & add to peppers with garlic, raisins, vinegar, salt & pepper; toss to combine.
- Place the chicken on a cutting board breast side down. Cut down each side of its backbone to remove (can keep to make chicken broth). Turn the chicken over & press down across the breast to flatten it (this is called spatchcoking). Splay the legs & tuck the wings behind. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables & rub all over with the harissa (or use a pastry brush to brush the harissa over the chicken). Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Roast for 1 hour 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked (thermometer reaches 165°F/74°C when inserted into the thickest part of the leg). Let stand 5 minutes before carving or pulling apart. Stir half the mint leaves into the vegetables.
- Serve the chicken with the vegetables drizzled with yogurt & sprinkled with
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