This one-pan meal packs in some heat, sweetness, and hearty veggies by combining some of my favorite flavors. Carrots, potatoes and onions are cooked with chicken drumsticks that are marinated in a flavorful harissa date syrup sauce.
The veggies take on so much of that delicious marinade, and the chicken falls off the bone. This recipe is easy enough for a weeknight dinner, and is the perfect main course to serve at your next holiday table.
Harissa is a Tunisian hot chili pepper paste that can be used for so many different dishes. It’s a fridge staple of mine, and I absolutely love using it in my marinades for proteins and veggies.
You can buy a mild or spicy variety depending on where you shop, and use it in sauces for your fish, tofu or even vegetables.
What you’ll need to make One-pan Harissa Chicken
- Bone-in chicken pieces– I used drumsticks but thighs work well too
- Veggies– carrots, potatoes and onion
- Spices– salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and cumin to season the veggies
- Olive oil
Harissa Date Syrup Marinade
- Harissa paste– you can find mild harissa for a less spicy marinade
- Date syrup– I love sweetening my marinades with date syrup for a rich flavor. Honey can be use instead if preferred
- Fresh parsley
- Lemon juice + zest
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Start by roughly chopping the peeled carrots, potatoes and onions and adding them to an oven-safe skillet or baking dish.
- Season the veggies with olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and cumin then place your chicken pieces on top
- Prepare the marinade by combining the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, then pour the marinade over the chicken and veggies
- Bake covered on 375 F for 1 hour, then uncovered on 400 F for 20-25 minutes
- To serve, transfer it to a platter and pour any remaining juices over the chicken with chopped fresh parsley
I used my go-to braiser pan for this recipe which I love to use for chicken and meat. You can use any oven-safe pan or skillet, or even cook everything on a parchment lined sheet-pan.
My pan was 3.5 qt and 12″ wide for reference.
Modifications and Substitutions
Type of chicken to use
I used 6 chicken drumsticks in this recipe. This dish can be made with 5-6 bone-in chicken thighs, or boneless thighs if preferred. For boneless thighs, I would cook the veggies alone for the first 30 minutes, then add in the chicken and the marinade during the last hour.
Substitutes for harissa
If you prefer a sauce that’s moderately spicy, you can find a mild harissa paste in stores. If you can’t find harissa paste, you can use sambal oelek (chili paste) or calabrian chili past
Best cooking pan to use
I used a braiser pan for this recipe which was 3.5 qt and 12″ wide. You can use any oven-safe baking dish or skillet, just be sure it’s deep enough for all of the veggies and chicken.
Alternatively, you can cook everything on a parchment lined sheet-pan. For glass or ceramic baking dishes, cook time may be a little longer. The potatoes should be fork tender before cooking uncovered.
This recipe can easily be doubled and served to a larger crowd. Serve it over rice with fresh parsley as garnish for a hearty and nourishing meal!
Other chicken recipes you’ll love:
Honey Za’atar Chicken with Fennel
Avocado Chicken Wraps with Harissa Mayo
Sheet-pan Honey Sriracha Chicken
Harissa Chicken and Veggies
Ingredients
- 5-6 bone in, skin-on chicken pieces, I used drumsticks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 3 carrots, peeled
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Harissa Marinade
- 1/4 cup harissa paste
- 1/4 cup date syrup
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- Juice from 1/2 lemon, about 2 tbsp
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more to drizzle
- 1 tsp orange zest, or sub lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F
- Slice the onions into thick wedges, and roughly chop the carrots and potatoes into 1″ pieces. Add them to a large oven-safe skillet or baking dish. I used a 3.5 qt braiser pan that was 12″ wide for reference.
- Season the veggies with the salt, pepper, garlic, paprika and cumin and toss with 2 tbsp of olive oil.
- Place the chicken pieces on top of the veggies.
- In a small bowl, prepare your marinade by combining all of the sauce ingredients together and whisking until well incorporated.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken and veggies and rub it into the chicken with your hands to coat each piece. Drizzle the top lightly with olive oil.
- Cover the pan with a lid or foil and bake for 1 hour- the potatoes should be fork tender at this point. Remove the cover and raise the heat to 400 F. Continue baking for another 20-25 minutes.
- Once ready, garnish with extra chopped parsley. Transfer to a serving plate and pour any remaining juices over the top when serving.
Wouldn’t change one thing! Gal is the GOAT for packing big flavor from simple, pantry staple ingredients. My husband loved this one! Going to remake it for my parents and guests in the future.
Made this with maple since I didn’t have date syrup, zucchini for potatoes, and cilantro for parsley and still amazing. Will have to try potatoes when we aren’t trying to cut back on carbs 😉
Thank you, Eli!