Harissa Chicken Sweet Potatoes (Printable)

A flavorful one-pan meal featuring spicy harissa chicken and caramelized sweet potatoes with roasted onions.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
02 - 2 tablespoons harissa paste
03 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
04 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
05 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
06 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
07 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
09 - Zest and juice of 1 lemon

→ Vegetables

10 - 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
11 - 1 large red onion, sliced into wedges
12 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
13 - ½ teaspoon salt
14 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper

→ Garnishes

15 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
16 - Lemon wedges for serving

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
02 - In a large bowl, combine harissa paste, 2 tablespoons olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add chicken thighs and toss to coat evenly. Marinate 10 minutes if possible.
03 - In a separate bowl, toss sweet potatoes and red onion with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
04 - Spread seasoned vegetables evenly on the sheet pan. Nestle marinated chicken thighs among vegetables, skin side up.
05 - Roast for 35 to 40 minutes until chicken skin is golden and internal temperature reaches 165°F, and sweet potatoes are tender.
06 - Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • One pan means one cleanup, and somehow the chicken skin still gets impossibly crispy while the sweet potatoes caramelize into something almost candy-like.
  • Harissa does the heavy lifting flavor-wise, so you're not juggling a dozen spices to make dinner taste like something worth remembering.
  • It's the kind of meal that looks like you fussed, but you really just threw everything on a sheet and walked away.
02 -
  • Don't skip the skin-side up positioning or you'll end up with steamed chicken instead of crispy chicken, which is the whole point of using bone-in thighs in the first place.
  • The vegetables need to be cut roughly the same size so they roast evenly—one giant chunk of sweet potato will still be crunchy when everything else is tender.
  • If your harissa paste is very thick, thin it slightly with a bit more lemon juice so it coats the chicken evenly instead of clumping.
03 -
  • Room temperature chicken roasts more evenly than cold chicken straight from the fridge, so take it out five minutes before you start your prep.
  • The rendered chicken fat that pools on the pan is liquid gold for roasting vegetables another night—don't throw it away.

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