Pan-Seared Chicken With Harissa, Dates and Citrus
Updated February 12, 2023
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 to 2 navel oranges
¼ cup harissa
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a knife
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 small bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 ½ to 3 pounds)
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
6 whole shallots, quartered lengthwise
1 cup pitted medjool dates, halved
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
1 cup chicken stock, store-bought or homemade
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ cup labne or full-fat plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
76 grams carbs; 310 milligrams cholesterol; 1126 calories; 32 grams monounsaturated fat; 12 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 67 grams fat; 9 grams fiber; 1610 milligrams sodium; 59 grams protein; 56 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
Remove the peel from both oranges in strips using a vegetable peeler and reserve. Squeeze 1 cup of juice from the oranges.
- Step 2
Make the marinade in a large bowl by whisking together the harissa, honey, cumin, garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil and ¼ cup orange juice. Pat the chicken pieces dry and season both sides generously with salt. Add the chicken to the marinade and coat evenly with the marinade. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the chicken for up to 24 hours.
- Step 3
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots, dates and reserved orange peel. Season lightly with salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are browned in spots and the dates are caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the scallions and cook to soften slightly, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a plate and set aside.
- Step 4
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and place the chicken pieces skin-side down in the skillet, still over medium heat drizzle any marinade left in the bowl over the chicken pieces. Cook until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces to cook the other side until just seared, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and remaining ¾ cup orange juice, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Step 5
Cook until the liquid is reduced by half and the chicken is cooked through and tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Return the shallot mixture to the skillet, stirring to disperse and coat with the broth. Add the lime juice and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes to soften the shallots. Remove from the heat and taste to see if you need to add more salt. Top with dots of yogurt and sprinkle with the dill.
Private Notes
Comments
Made this for dinner last night and it was a big hit. One issue: although I opted to use two navel oranges for the peel (which add a lot to the dish), I needed FOUR oranges to get a full cup of juice — and it was rather difficult to squeeze the juice out of them. You might want to consider buying a small bottle of orange juice instead of trying to get a full cup of juice from your navel oranges.
Is this dry or wet harissa? I have some of both.
Question with disclaimers: Recognizing 'harissa' is in the title, and is the main ingredient for flavor - I cannot eat peppers. The recipe otherwise looks delicious. Is there any substitute anyone can recommend for the harissa, even though (please be kind - it is sad enough to always have to edit peppers out of recipes or discard the recipe altogether) it is central to the flavors here?
I actually found this recipe to be disappointing. I followed it to a T, and marinated the chicken for 24 hours with the powdered Harissa, but found the result to be kind of tasteless. So here’s what I did: before returning the shallots etc. to the chicken and sauce, I added some flour to thicken the sauce. (If I cooked this again, I’d dredge the chicken in flour before browning it. ) Then I returned the shallots to the chicken, but not all of the dates etc. And most importantly, I crushed three cloves of garlic and added them to the chicken, sauce and shallots. That made the taste far more interesting - gave it some zing along with the spicy harissa and salt to taste. And finally, I covered the chicken and simmered it for one hour - essentially stewing it till if fell apart. And then I added the lime juice and the rest of the dates. The additional garlic and the longer, slower cook-time made this a far more successful dish.
followed the recipe and loved the results - a keeper!
What do you all recommend for sides with this dish? Curious to hear what combos everyone has tried!!