Harissa Chicken Thighs With Shallots
Published September 25, 2018
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li.
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
4 to 5 small shallots, ends trimmed, quartered, root to stem, and peeled
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons harissa
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 to 1 ½ cups chicken stock, plus more as needed
¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro, leaves and tender stems
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving
Flaky salt, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
15 grams carbs; 169 milligrams cholesterol; 513 calories; 17 grams monosaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 36 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 781 milligrams sodium; 32 grams protein; 5 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Season chicken thighs well with salt and pepper. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs skin-side down and cook undisturbed until nicely browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and brown the other side, about 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Step 2
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan and return to medium-low heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until they begin to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more.
- Step 3
Stir in harissa and cinnamon, and add back in the chicken and any residual juices. Pour in enough of the stock to come up to the chicken about halfway, and bring to a simmer. Partly cover and allow the chicken to finish cooking through, about 15 minutes more.
- Step 4
Toss the chicken in the sauce until it's nicely coated. Plate and top with the cilantro and the scallions. Serve, spooning braising liquid on top and with lime wedges on the side. Finish with flaky salt, if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
Fabulous dish! I added small red potatoes while the shallots and garlic cooked, then the broth and chicken. The potatoes absorbed the wonderful sauce.
So lovely and quite easy. I made it with boneless thighs because that's what I had on hand. Everyone – husband, 6yo and 3yo – loved it. Served with rice, to soak up the juices, and arugula.
This was good and even better the next day. I used boneless thighs and added mushrooms and red bell peppers, as some others suggested. A little white wine didn't hurt the sauce, either. Prep was a little faster than I expected.
This was delicious. I used spicy harissa and it was HOT - I’ll probably use half mild and half spicy next time. Served it over couscous cooked with chicken broth, butter, and raisins. Couscous is mandatory.
I served this dish with another ny times, dish pearl couscous w/sauteed cherry tomatoes. and made one slight modification, after the chicken was finished cooking in the chicken broth, and removed them from with the shallots, strained the remaining liquid, and returned it to the pan and reduced it by about half then tossed the thighs and shallots in the reducted sauce.
There is a company in the UK called Belazu that makes a fabulous array of North African and Middle Eastern cooking pastes and spreads. They don’t ship to the States, but there are a couple of sources for their products in the US. Belazu makes a rose harissa as well as an apricot harissa and a smoked harissa. This is already a great recipe — it’s one of my “go to” dishes. One of the Belazu harissas just puts a unique finishing touch on it.