Harissa Chicken Bowls

These harissa chicken bowls are roughly based on the one you can get at Cava. I had never heard of Cava before one opened in my town a few months ago, but it is a salad/wrap kind of place and I love that you can make a custom salad bowl to your liking. The harissa chicken is on of our favorites and I decided to make a similar recipe at home. We ended up liking it more than the restaurant version, so I may have to just make at home from now on. 🙂

I used Israeli couscous as the base for the bowl, but you can also use rice if you prefer. The chicken is marinated overnight in a mix of harissa, honey, ginger, garlic and salt and pepper. It was very flavorful and moist and so tasty with all the extras. I added some wilted spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, olives and hummus, as well as some pickled red onion. I definitely recommend quick pickling the red onion in half water/half vinegar with a little salt for 20-30 minutes. The little pop of acid along with the rest of the bowl really elevates the meal.

Harissa honey vinaigrette is a mix of harissa, honey, vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, cumin and salt and pepper. It is sweet and sour and bright and yummy. Overall we really liked this one and I will definitely make this again.

Harissa Chicken Bowls

Healthy and flavorful bowl of couscous with harissa marinated chicken, feta, olives, cucumber, tomatoes, hummus, spinach, pickled red onions and harissa honey vinaigrette

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Lunch, Main Course, Salad

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

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For the chicken:

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breast cut into pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp harissa paste
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
• 2 tsp salt
• black pepper to taste

For the vinaigrette:

• 1 tbsp harissa paste
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/3 cup olive oil

For the bowl:

• 1 cup wilted spinach fresh spinach placed in a hot pan with a little salt until it wilts
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
• kalamata olives
• feta cheese crumbles
• quick pickled red onions
• diced cucumber
• hummus 1 tbsp per bowl
• cooked rice or couscous

Instructions

 

• Combine the marinade ingredients and add the chicken. Mix well and place in the fridge overnight. When ready to cook, heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the chicken. Cook, stirring often, until it is browned on all sides and cooked through. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
• To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Taste and adjust seasoning. Place rice or couscous in a bowl, top with the cooked chicken, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives and hummus and drizzle with the dressing.

Keyword Chicken, Lunch, Main Dish, Salad

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