A little spice

My son Jake is obsessed with Harissa paste. He tasted it for the first time this summer and has been putting it in everything. He makes an aioli with it, on omelets, and stirs it in his pasta. I wanted a spicy chicken dish so I put this recipe together for dinner and he loved it. I liked how fast it came together with ingredients from my pantry. The chicken was sticky sweet and hot, and very tasty. I’m going to make it again using bone-in thighs but will make sure to put the marinade under the skin so it isn’t just on top, but on the meat as well. This would be lovely on pork too. We buy the paste at Foodland in Picton, not sure if it’s available anywhere else.

Hot honey chicken
2 tablespoons Harissa paste

3 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine Harissa paste, honey, paprika, garlic and oil in a medium sized bowl. Season chicken with salt and pepper and then put in the bowl with the marinade. Stir the chicken to coat well, cover and put in the refrigerator for 25-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Put chicken on baking sheet and roast in oven for 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked and the marinade is thick and sticky on the chicken.

Makes 2-3 servings.