One pan harissa chicken and chickpeas
A hearty and nutritious one-pan chicken and chickpea dish that's packed with protein and fibre and easy enough for weeknight dinners – perfection!
Each serving provides 981 kcal, 61.2g protein, 65g carbohydrate (of which 11.2g sugars), 49.9g fat (of which 13.1g saturates), 14g fibre and 0.85g salt.
Ingredients
For the chicken and chickpeas
- 1kg/2lb 4oz chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tbsp rose harissa
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½ lemon, juice only
- 700g jar or 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, liquid retained
- 100g/3½oz pitted green olives in brine, drained but 40ml/1fl½ oz brine retained
- 250g/9oz cherry tomatoes on the vine
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the mint yoghurt
For the herby rice
- 2 x 250g pouches microwave brown rice
- small handful fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
- ½ lemon, juice only
Method
To make the chicken and chickpeas, preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium–high heat. Place the chicken thighs skin-side down and cook for 6–8 minutes until the skin is crisp. Turn over and cook for a further 2 minutes, then remove and set aside.
Reduce the heat slightly and add the onion. Cook for 4–5 minutes until softened. Stir through the garlic, tomato purée, harissa, smoked paprika and cumin and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Squeeze in the lemon juice and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the chickpeas along with all of their liquid to the pan. Stir through the olives and their retained brine and season lightly with salt to taste. Season generously with black pepper and leave to bubble for 1–2 minutes.
Nestle the chicken thighs back into the pan, skin-side up, then tuck the cherry tomatoes into the gaps around the chicken.
Transfer to the oven for 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the tomatoes have blistered. The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part is pierced with a skewer. For extra crispy skin, place the pan under a hot grill for the final 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the mint yoghurt, mix together the yoghurt and mint in a bowl and set aside.
To make the rice, heat the rice according to the pack instructions and then stir through the parsley and lemon juice.
To serve, divide the rice between plates, top each with a chicken thigh and the tomato chickpea mixture mixture, then finish with a dollop of the mint yoghurt. Alternatively, take the chicken pan to the table with the rice and yoghurt and let everyone help themselves.
