New! Harissa Chicken Sheet Pan dinner (with Olives and Potatoes)

Sheet pan dinners really hold their own when it comes to easy, fuss-free weeknight meal solutions, don’t they? Yep. Sure do. This Harissa Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner is an all-timer for me, as the flavors are crazy good and it’s just so pretty – makes it seem like there’s more going on here than there really is. I just use store-bought harissa sauce (pretty widely available) and I add a little sugar and vinegar to it, to round out the flavors. Creamy potatoes, tangy banana peppers, red onion and briny, buttery olives round out the scene.

If you like the looks of this Harissa Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner, I’d suggest you check out my sheet pan meatloaves (they’re a reader fave for sure) or my sheet pan pork chops with Brussels sprouts or this sheet pan Chicken Tikka Masala number would be fun. Did you know that you can “sheet pan” a salad and a fantastic pizza? It’s true. If you can dream it, you can sheet pan it, folks.

why we love this harissa chicken sheet pan dinner

Well for starters – it’s a sheet pan recipe. It cannot be overstated just how wonderful it is to live in a time when food this beautiful and this delicious can be made entirely on one big flat pan. I ean, that could very well be a bit exaggerative, yes. But my enthusiasm for sheet pan recipes really knows no bounds, so hyperbolic I will be. I just think they’re great, okay?

This one is cool for a few key reasons, one – it looks pretty stunning, what with all of those sunset-hues going on. You know it’s going to be really tasty before you even take a bite. A pretty lovable quality by all accounts, I think. But also, the usage of a handy harissa paste really makes for a super quick fix here – it only takes a few minutes to stir together the sauce that will both flavor the roasting sheet pan ingredients and also serve as a sauce for dipping and dunking when all is said and done.

harissa chicken sheet pan dinner swaps and alternatives

You could make this with bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (drumsticks, thighs, wings, etc.) and it would be delicious. The only real difference in the recipe would be an increase in the overall cook time. You’d just want to bake the chicken for longer, as the pieces will likely be thicker and will require a little more time in the oven to cook through and get all tender and juicy.

I suppose you could also use white meat – the boneless chicken breasts of which I’m typically not the biggest fan. That said, they do have their place and they work nicely on sheet pans like this. Just pound them a bit flatter and wider, to help them cook a little faster and more evenly. You also might want to slice them into cutlets as well, which will also reduce the overall cook time.

Anyway, enough about the chicken. If you can’t find harissa sauce/paste at your store, you could use a jar of pesto and go with that flavor profile instead, and there are some great bruschetta spreads and even tapenades that would be really nice here. It’d change the geographical influence of the recipe, of course, but it would still be very Mediterranean.

harissa chicken sheet pan dinner ingredient notes

The Chicken

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the name of the game here for our Harissa Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner. They’ll stay nice and juicy for you, and don’t run the risk of going all sad and parched like white meat tends to. Nope. Not this time. Not today, Satan.

The Harissa

Okay, so what is harissa sauce and where, exactly, can you get you hands on it? Harissa paste is a North African (Tunisian and Moroccan, specifically) flavor paste sauce made from red chilis. Sometimes referred to as “Tunisia’s main condiment,” harissa is a spicy chili paste. It sports a distinctive bright red color, or sometimes it is green, and is served with many meals as a dip or spread, or as an ingredient in soups and stews.

Harissa paste is also used to give deep flavor to couscous, or as a rub for meat and vegetables. This traditional condiment has regional variations, with the simplest versions consisting of just chilis, garlic, salt, and olive oil. Extras such as cumin, coriander, lemon, onions, tomato are used sometimes, and variations from some Saharan regions often possess a smoky flavor.

Harissa is a common ingredient in other Middle Eastern cuisines as well – in Israel it is often used as a topping for shawarma and in Morocco, you will see it served as a condiment alongside tagines. I use it in this lovely Tunisian Chicken recipe, if you need further inspiration …

The Potatoes

You can really use whatever you like here, as is pretty often the case. I’m not trying to be a dictator about this. OMG. A dic-TATOR. I can’t. It’s a good thing I enjoy my own terrible humor because I’m pretty sure no one reads the meaty middles of food blog posts. And if so, this might constitute a forever blocking of sorts. Like, I could be cancelled just for making terrible potato jokes. Anyway.

I like the baby gold potatoes for my Harissa Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner, just because their skins are so tender and the insides stay nice and creamy. But suit yourself as far as the potatoes are concerned.

The Peppers

Banana peppers are so underutilized I think, and while they’re not some Mediterranean or North African staple ingredient – the tangy crunch they add to so many dishes keeps them forever in my fridge. I love them in this particular recipe and if you need another recipe to help use them up, definitely check out my Mississippi Chicken recipe. It’s basically a quiet celebration of banana peppers, to be honest.

The Olives

I love the buttery green ones that are typically available in cans (read: super cheap), but use what you like. The smashing is simply to prevent them from rolling all over the place and causing lots of mayhem.

The Aromatics

Here, we’ll use garlic powder, not the fresh stuff. It just works perfectly and you won’t run the risk of it scorching on you during the baking process. We’ll also use a pretty red onion (the color alone helps it make the team) and I instruct you to cut it into “petals” which just means bite-sized pieces, really.

how to make this delicious harissa chicken sheet pan dinner

1. Put the chicken and potatoes in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine the harissa paste, oil, vinegar, garlic powder, honey, and some salt and pepper to taste. Pour half of this over the chicken and potatoes and toss to coat.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the top third position (not the very top, usually the next one down).
3. Arrange the chicken and potatoes in an even layer on a large sheet pan. Toss the onions with a little olive oil and scatter them, along with the  olives and banana pepper rings, all around. Season everything with some salt and pepper. Toss the thyme sprigs on top of everything (they will scent/flavor the food gently this way).
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, turning halfway through, or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender and golden (it may take a little longer). If your chicken is done before your potatoes look great to you, just transfer the chicken thighs to a plate until the potatoes are done.
5. Serve this Harissa Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner with the remaining harissa sauce on the side for dipping, and top with fresh herbs if you like (parsley and mint are really nice here).

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