Grilled chicken has a bad reputation. I get it, I’ve made all the mistakes. The dry and leathery boneless breasts, the bone-in pieces that are raw on the inside and incinerated on the outside. But I was determined to master grilled chicken because when it’s good it’s so very good. Take this Grilled Harissa Chicken: crispy and lightly charred, with a deep smokiness and meat so moist you’re going to swear this is the juiciest chicken you’ve ever made – I don’t mean just the juiciest ever on the grill, I mean the juiciest ever.
It starts with an overnight soak in a simple salt water brine. Brining draws moisture deep into the meat, breaks down the proteins to tenderize it, and adds flavor. After brining, slather the chicken with a thick mixture of Greek yogurt and spicy harissa, and let it marinate for up to one more day. The yogurt is another tenderizer, and it’s that double dose that gives this chicken its amazing texture.
Harissa is a relatively new addition to my condiment shelf. What I like about it here is that it’s an all in one seasoning – there’s no need for a medley of dried spices or mincing of aromatics. A hefty dollop of harissa handles everything. If you don’t have harissa on hand, you could substitute another condiment or hot sauce – try Sriracha, a chili garlic sauce such as sambal oelek, or an American-style hot sauce such as Frank’s or Tabasco. If you’re using something extremely concentrated and spicy, such as Sriracha or Tabasco, use 2 tablespoons instead of the full ¼ cup.
The other thing I love about the harissa is the deep burnished color it lends to the skin.
I serve the warm chicken on a bed of baby greens tossed with a garlic and herb vinaigrette. The juices from the chicken melt down to meld with the dressing and wilt the greens slightly. If you prefer, serve the salad alongside the chicken instead of underneath.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- The prep starts the day before – or even two days ahead – to give the chicken time to soak in the not one but two marinades. When it comes time to grill, do it within an hour of serving in order to enjoy the chicken at its crispy-skinned best. It can sit at room temperature for up to an hour before serving.
- Leftovers are the best for sandwiches, sliced on top of salads, or in any other way you’d use cooked chicken.
For a complete menu that features this dish, see my post for Saturday September 12, 2020.
Grilled Harissa Chicken
Start one or two days ahead.
Ingredients
- ½ cup of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ¼ cup of Morton’s)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- ½ a juicy lemon
- One 5-pound chicken, backbone removed, halved
- ½ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup harissa
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 5 ounces mesclun greens
- Basic Vinaigrette, Greek variation
Directions
- Step 1 Combine the salt, sugar and peppercorns in a medium saucepan. Squeeze in the juice from the lemon half and add the lemon half itself, along with 1 quart of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cook, stirring, until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into an 8-cup liquid measure or a large bowl. Add 4 cups of ice and let the mixture sit until the ice has melted and the brine is cool.
- Step 2 Place the chicken halves into a large container with a lid. Pour the brine over to completely submerge the chicken. (You may not use all the brine depending on how big the container is. Discard any extra.) Cover the container and chill the chicken for 12 to 24 hours.
- Step 3 Remove the chicken to a plate and discard the brine. In the same container, combine the yogurt, harissa, oregano, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and ground black pepper. Add the chicken and turn it, slathering it with the yogurt mixture until it’s completely coated. Cover and chill for 8 to 24 hours.
- Step 4 Prepare a grill for two zone heat, one side medium heat, the other low. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it with paper towels to remove any heavy globs of marinade. Slather both sides with a little bit more olive oil, to give it an even (but not drippy) coating of oil.
- Step 5 Put the chicken on the grill on the medium-heat zone, skin side down. Grill it until it’s lightly charred on the bottom and releases easily from the grate when gently lifted with tongs, about 10 minutes – you might have to nudge the skin away from the grate with the edge of a thin spatula.
- Step 6 Turn the chicken skin side up and move it to the low heat zone. Close the lid. Continue cooking without moving or turning the chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reads 165 degrees, approximately 40 minutes total cooking time, but let the thermometer and not the clock be your guide.
- Step 7 Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette.
- Step 8 Remove chicken from the grill, cover it loosely with foil, and let it rest for at 10 minutes. Arrange the mesclun greens on a platter or four dinner plates, and drizzle the greens with enough of the dressing to give them a light coating. Cut the chicken into quarters and arrange it over or alongside the greens.
