It's that fall-ish time of year when I pull out my favorite sheet pan meals, which I've been making variations of for years. There are a million ways you can roast chicken and vegetables, and this flavor profile is one of my very favorites!
Since I fell in love with chicken shawarma a while back, the combination of heat, coolness, and acid from the chilies, yogurt, and lemon has been one I keep going back to. If you've never used Harissa paste, you're in for a treat. I'll show you what it looks like and where to find it.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy clean up! Sheet pans meals are great like that.
- The flavor combination of this is perfection: (gently) spicy + sweet vegetables + cooling yogurt sauce
- Chicken thighs are forgiving and stay juicy
- Make-ahead friendly
- Meal prep friendly
- Easily made gluten free and/or grain free/paleo
What is Harissa?
Harissa is a North African chili paste from Tunisia. It tastes spicy, smoky, and a little tangy, and you can find it at some grocery stores and online. I like Trader Joe's especially because of the price. It's on the spicier side, though. Mina makes a more mild version found on Amazon.
Ingredients
For the Chicken
I like boneless skinless thighs here, but you can use bone-in (even more forgiving and juicier!).
For the Vegetables
Carrots, butternut squash, and red onion are my choices for this and I'm keeping the seasoning simple to let the harissa do the heavy lifting. You can swap out veg, too, and I added some recommendations below.
For the Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Plain yogurt (Greek or otherwise), fresh garlic , lemon juice, olive oil, salt. This cooling yogurt sauce pulls this whole meal together and takes some heat out of the harissa, if you're concerned with that. If you want to boost the heat, then add a little harissa to the sauce. It turns the prettiest peachy color, too.
How to Make Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken
Marinate the Chicken (Even 20 Minutes Helps)
You'll want to rub that harissa paste and some oil on the chicken and let it marinate for at least 15 min. I aim for about ½ teaspoon per thigh -- adjust it as you see fit. If you're using skin-on thighs, make sure to get some of that mixture under the skin, too, for maximum flavor. This is a step you can do the day before for even more flavor.
Prep the Vegetables
The size of the vegetables is important here. Since butternut squash and carrots take a little longer to roast, you'l want to cut those smaller and roughly the same size. Onions roast quickly if thin, so cut those into bigger chunks so they don't burn. Also, arrange them around the chicken instead of underneath or on top, you want them to have space for steam to escape so you veggies aren't steamed instead of roasted.
Roast Everything Together
Roasting temp is 425F for about 20 minutes. Check the chicken and if it's 160-165F, then pull it off the pan. Chances are your veggies will still need a few more minutes to develop some caramelization, but they should be cooked through. I like to broil them for 2-3 minutes to finish them off. If you have skin-on chicken, leave the chicken on the pan so the skin broils and crisps up, too.
Make the Garlic Yogurt Sauce
While the chicken is doing its thing, mix together the yogurt sauce ingredients. If you've got a microplane grater, use that for the garlic. You'll thank me later.
Serve
Use the sauce as a bed for everything else (fancy) or add it on the side as a Little Dipper. I love topping my bowl with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Tips for the Best Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken
- If you're using bone-in chicken, pat it dry before adding the harissa and oil and it'll make the skin crispier.
- Make sure the carrots and butternut squash are similar sizes and about ½-inch thick for even, caramelized roasting.
- Broil the last couple of minutes to get a little more color on the veg.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing so you don't lose all the juice.
How Spicy Is This Recipe?
It varies depending on the brand. I always use Trader Joe's harissa, which is about a medium-hot heat. Mina is mild and NY Shuk is medium. The garlic yogurt sauce is designed to cool the heat a bit. And honestly, the chicken alone wasn't as spicy as I was anticipating. Even my spice-sensitive kids loved the chicken.
Recipe Variations
- Swap another type of root vegetable for the butternut squash, like parsnips or sweet potatoes (but cut the sweet potatoes a little larger since they cook more quickly).
- Add chickpeas to the pan for extra protein. Roasted chickpeas are delicious!
- Make it dairy-free: skip the yogurt sauce or use coconut yogurt.
- Leftover ideas: chop over a grain bowl, stuff into pita with the yogurt sauce as a makeshift shawarma.
Make Ahead and Meal Prep
Now that I'm living alone half the time, I love recipes like this that allow me to prep meals or components for later during the week. Here are some tips to use this recipe for meal prep or a make ahead situation:
- Marinate chicken for up to 24 hours, chop the vegetables the day before, and make the yogurt sauce up to 5 days in advance. Store until ready to cook.
- You can also cook some grains and create some meals ready to reheat. I love glass containers like these meal prep containers on amazon that stack really well in the fridge. Keep the yogurt in a smaller container you can remove so it doesn't reheat with the rest of it.
What to Serve with Harissa Chicken
I like couscous for this because it's SO quick, and it's more typical of the region of the world that this is inspired by, but you can definitely make white rice, quinoa or even cauliflower rice if you need something gluten free.
You could also serve it with a warm pita and a simple cucumber salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Harissa is a North African chili paste from Tunisia. It tastes spicy, smoky, and a little tangy, and you can find it at some grocery stores and online. I like Trader Joe's especially because of the price.
It depends on the brand. I mentioned this earlier in the post, but I use Trader Joe's most often and it's a medium-hot paste.
Yes, but I'd recommend marinating it for several hours first since the meat is thicker. Also watch it carefully in the oven so it doesn't overbake and dry out.
Honestly, all of them. You can use carrots, hard squash (butternut, acorn), parsnips, any type of potaotes or beets. Beets have a really long roasting time to cut those even smaller if you use them in this recipe
Yes, for sure! You can prep the chicken, vegetables, and yogurt sauce ahead of time. See the "Make Ahead and Meal Prep" section above.
If you pair it with rice or quinoa it's gluten free. The yogurt sauce is not Whole30 or paleo friendly, so if you prep only the chicken and vegetables, then yes, it's Whole30 and paleo friendly. (Another plug for roasted cauliflower rice here. It would be fabulous with this.)
If you have leftover grains, use it in a grain bowl or put it over a salad or in a wrap.
More Bold Chicken Dinners
Chicken Shawarma Sheet Pan Dinner
Chicken Thighs with Coconut Milk
Baked Pesto Chicken & Vegetables
If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!
Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken Thighs with Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Chicken thighs get a (not as spicy as you'd expect) coat of harissa paste and roast alongside sweet carrots and butternut squash until everything is caramelized and deeply fragrant. Don't skimp on that yogurt sauce! It's the perfect cooling, creamy balance to this meal.
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4-5)
- 1 Tablespoon Harissa paste (see note)
- 3 Tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 cups ½ in chopped butternut squash
- 2 cups ½ in chopped carrots (about 3 large)
- ½ large red onion, cut into large pieces
- 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
For the yogurt sauce
- 1 cup plain yogurt (Greek is ok)
- 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon harissa paste (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced or grated
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
For serving
- 1 ½ cups couscous, quinoa, or white rice
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment or prep with nonstick spray. If you're making quinoa or rice, prep it with chicken broth now.
- Put the chicken on the pan, add the harissa and 1 Tablespoon avocado oil on top. Use your hands to coat the chicken well, then spread it out on the pan evenly. Let the mixture sit on the chicken for 15-20 minutes to marinate. (You can do it longer, too, ahead of time!)
- Lay the vegetables around the chicken (not underheath or on top). Drizzle the remaining 2 Tablespoons of avocado oil over the vegetables along with the juice from half the lemon (save the other half for serving) and the garlic salt. Use your hands to toss the vegetable around a little.
- Roast for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Make the yogurt sauce by combining the yogurt, ½ the juice from the lemon, harissa (if using), olive oil, garlic, and salt. Taste and add extra lemon juice or salt, if needed. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, make the couscous by bringing the chicken broth to boil in a medium saucepan. Add the couscous, remove from heat, and let it sit, covered, for about 10 minutes or until you're ready otherwise eat. Season with salt before serving.
- When the chicken is finished, remove it from the pan. Return the vegetables to the oven under the broiler and cook for another 2-3 minutes to get some color on them.
- Slice the chicken and assemble bowls with couscous, vegetables, chicken, and yogurt sauce. Garnish with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil, if you'd like.
Notes
- Harissa paste is a spicy condiment commonly used in the Middle East and North Africa. I find it at Trader Joe's, but many well-stocked grocery stores carry it. You can also use sriracha or chili crunch instead.
- You can use full-fat or non-fat yogurt here. Also, the harissa in the yogurt sauce is optional if you'd like to bump up the heat a little.
- You can definitly use bone-in chicken thighs here. Just add a few extra minutes to the roasting time. You can also use breasts, but the flavor probably won't be as good if they're thick unless you marinate them for a long time.
- The size of the vegetables is important here. Chicken thighs are more forgiving than thighs when roasting, but you'll want the vegetables to be finished around the same time as the chicken. I use pre-cut butternut squash, but cut them a little smaller. You can swap out other vegetables, but they need to be able to roast in 20 minutes. Sweet potatoes and other root vegetables around that size will work well.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 783Total Fat 41gSaturated Fat 10gUnsaturated Fat 32gCholesterol 224mgSodium 1323mgCarbohydrates 62gFiber 10gSugar 13gProtein 50g
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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