Crispy harissa chicken with roasted harissa gnocchi and slaw

This recipe creates minimal dish washing, super crispy chicken and gnocchi and, if you’re clever, leftovers for lunch or dinners in the days following. Watch this 9 minute video where I show you the whole process and share some bonus tips that aren’t in the recipe below.

As heard on Sara Cox’s BBC Radio 2 show!

When listener Martin gave me his 3 ingredients (minced chicken, courgette and harissa) to make a meal of it as part of my chef of the week spot on Sara Cox’s show, I knew I’d use them in a version of this recipe – making meatballs to use instead of the chicken pieces in the recipe below. Please note that chicken breast mince is really dry so you should use chicken thigh mince here.

To make the meatballs I shared on Sara’s show, grate a courgette with a box grater and squeeze as much liquid out as you can then throw the liquid away. Mix the courgette, 500g minced chicken thigh or pork, an egg, zest of a lemon, salt and pepper and a handful of grated Parmesan. Make into golf ball sized meatballs.

Then follow the recipe below – just cook the meatballs in the same way as you’d use the chicken pieces – in a frying pan first and then in the oven, sitting on top of the gnocchi.

Shopping tips
I always use Belazu rose harissa, find it either with the Middle Eastern ingredients or spices at the supermarket. If you’re using a different brand, be cautious with the amount you use as some are much hotter. If you make it too hot, don’t stress, just serve it with a big blob of yoghurt on top.

Use the rest of the jar to make this again, or stir a spoonful through natural yoghurt with a pinch of salt to make a delicious dip for crisps or a sauce. It is also fab dolloped into soup.

To make for 4 people as a main:

For the chicken and gnocchi

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• half a teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 4-8 skinless boneless chicken thighs (see note above about substitutions)
• 4 tablespoons rose harissa paste (I buy Belazu brand)
• 500-750g fresh gnocchi – find it in the fresh pasta section at the supermarket
• a pinch of sea salt flakes to finish
• 1-2 teaspoons red wine vinegar or half a lemon to finish

Serve with
Slaw – use this recipe
or dress rocket (arugula) and sliced avocado with lemon, salt and pepper

1. Heat the oven to 190°C fan (210°C regular), 365°F convection (410°F regular).

2. Grab a large frying pan that can go in the oven, if your pan won’t go in the oven, you’ll also need an oven proof dish to transfer everything into later.

3. Heat the pan on a high heat and add the oil. Sprinkle the top side of the chicken thighs with a big pinch of sea salt then place in the pan, salted side down, so the pieces lay flat. If the chicken doesn’t sizzle straight away, increase the heat. If it is smoking, drop the heat. Then don’t fiddle! Leave to cook for 5 minutes without moving. If you move the chicken it won’t colour and colour = flavour.

4. Once the chicken is golden, flip so the golden side is uppermost. Turn off the heat. Use two teaspoons (one to scoop out of the jar and the other to nudge a tiny bit of harissa onto each piece of chicken) to put the harissa on the golden side of the chicken pieces. Don’t spread until you’ve put a tiny dollop of harissa on top of each piece – otherwise you’ll risk getting uncooked chicken in the jar. Use the back of the spoon to spread it over the top of the chicken pieces. Then put in the oven to cook for about 20 minutes.

5. While the chicken cooks, make the slaw. In the video I use my Joseph and Joseph shredder to shred my cabbage. It is available through my shop, get the link here. Or you can use a box grater or a sharp knife to shred it. In the video I added grated carrot and a handful of rocket to the shredded red cabbage. Read this post to learn more about what other combinations work and to see me shredding cabbage with a knife and grater. Dress the slaw with full fat plain yoghurt (around 4 tablespoons), salt, chopped chives or spring onion and vinegar or lemon to taste.

6. Once the chicken is ready, grab it out of the oven. Take it out of the pan and put it on a plate, covered with foil or a pan lid to rest, leaving behind all the harissa juices. The chicken should be cooked and crispy but if you’re nervous, cut a piece in half and check that it is opaque all the way through.

7. Tumble the gnocchi straight from the bag into the pan and toss it through the harissa and oil. Put it back in the oven for 15 minutes or until crispy but soft in the middle. Depending on how big your pan is, you may need to toss it half way through cooking so that it cooks evenly.

8. To serve, either serve in a bowl or in a plate or let everyone serve themselves. The slaw, gnocchi and chicken needs a final squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of red wine vinegar plus a sprinkle of sea salt flakes at the end for brightness and pops of salty flavour.

Leftover chicken can be kept in the fridge for 3 days, either reheat until piping hot or eat cold. The slaw will also be fine in the fridge for a couple of days. If you have leftover gnocchi you are a stronger person than anyone in my family.

Get the equipment I use

Click on this shop to get the equipment I used. If you buy through these links, you don’t pay any extra but I earn a small affiliate fee. These products are things I’ve bought and used for years for loads of my recipes so you can trust that they are worth the investment.

I used:

• Scanpan Chef pan
• Metal tongs
• Joseph and Joseph shredder
• Silicon spatula

Don’t forget to send me an email or DM when you make this, it makes my day to know you add these recipes to your week.