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Harissa Chicken

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Prep Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Calories: 655.3kcal
Servings: 4 People

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 1 Whole Chicken Spatchcocked

Harissa Paste

  • 22.5 ml Olive Oil (For Chillies)
  • 25 Long Red Chillies
  • 8 g Ground Cumin
  • 4 g Ground Coriander Seed
  • 1 g Ground Caraway Seed
  • 5 Garlic Cloves Crushed
  • 8 g Smoked Paprika
  • 1 Lemon Juiced
  • 15 ml Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 20 g Tomato Paste
  • 60 ml Olive Oil
  • 100 g Unsalted Butter Cubed
  • 2 Lemon or Limes

Spiced Yogurt

  • 320 g Natural Greek Yogurt
  • ½ Cucumber Grated and Squeezed
  • 5 g Coriander (Cilantro) Chopped
  • 4 g Smoked Paprika
  • 4 g Turmeric
  • 2 g Ground Cumin
  • 2 g Cayenne Pepper
  • ½ Lemon Zest & Juice
  • Salt & Pepper To Taste

Method

  • Pat the chicken dry, remove the gizzards (if applicable), and let it sit out of the fridge for 1 ½ hours. Remove the backbone, flip breast side down, and push firmly to crack the bone and open it flat. Pat dry again.
  • Heat the BBQ to maximum. Toss the chillies with olive oil and salt, grill 10-12 minutes until charred and soft, then cool.
  • Deseed the chillies if you want it milder, then blend with the remaining harissa ingredients (except the butter) to a thick paste. Season to taste.
  • Rub the chicken with half the harissa, working some under the skin, then drizzle with the reserved oil and season. Grill breast side up 10 minutes, flip 5 minutes, then move to indirect heat with the lid down for 35-40 minutes until it hits 70°C (158°F) internally. Rest 5-10 minutes, tented loosely in foil.
  • Melt the remaining harissa paste with the butter in a saucepan to make the sauce, season, and set aside.
  • Whisk together the spiced yogurt ingredients, season, and refrigerate until serving.
  • Spread the yogurt on a platter, top with the chicken, drizzle with the harissa butter sauce, and garnish with coriander and lime wedges.
Chef's Tips
Letting the chicken come to room temperature before grilling matters; a cold chicken cooks unevenly and risks drying out before the centre's done.
Direct heat first, then indirect with the lid down, gets a properly charred skin without burning the harissa's sugars before the inside's cooked through.
Resting 5-10 minutes lets the juices redistribute instead of spilling out the moment you cut in.
Storage & Reheating
Best served fresh off the grill. Leftovers keep in the fridge up to 3 days, reheated gently in a low oven.
Serving 450gCalories 655.3kcalCarbohydrates 28.9gProtein 30.4gFat 49.8gSaturated Fat 18.2gPolyunsaturated Fat 7gMonounsaturated Fat 26gTrans Fat 1.1gCholesterol 117.1mgSodium 398.1mgPotassium 1449mgFiber 9.3gSugar 11gVitamin A 1079IUVitamin C 152.06mgCalcium 392.5mgIron 11.9mg