Harissa Roasted Chicken with Chickpeas

This roasty and toasty (and delicious recipe) was featured by Sunset.com and can be found here! They recommend using Les Moulins Mahjoub harissa, as do we!

INGREDIENTS

 1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek-Style Yogurt, homemade or store-bought
 1 tablespoon lemon juice
 About 1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
 Pepper
 6 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 lbs. total)
 1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
 1 large red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half-moons
 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal about 1/4 in. thick
 About 1/3 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
 
PREPARATION

In a bowl, whisk yogurt, harissa, lemon juice, 1 tsp. salt, and several grinds of pepper. Add chicken; turn to coat. “It’s a little dry to start, but there’s plenty of fat that comes out of the chicken,” Fletcher notes. Chill, covered, 4 to 8 hours. “The acid in the yogurt helps tenderize the meat.” Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat oven to 425° with a rack set in upper third. In a bowl, combine chickpeas, onion, and carrots. Season lightly with salt and toss to blend. Make a bed of the vegetables in a 9- by 13-in. baking dish. With a rubber spatula, redistribute marinade so it evenly covers both sides of chicken. Set chicken on vegetables, skin side up. Bake until chicken is deeply browned, about 45 minutes. “It should even be charred in spots.”

Transfer chicken to a plate. Stir vegetables and add a splash of water if they look dry. Bake until carrots are tender, 10 minutes longer. Stir in 1/3 cup cilantro.

To serve, set chicken on vegetables and sprinkle with a little more cilantro.

Photo by Thomas J. Story 
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