RECIPE: Green Harissa Chicken

Last fall, in addition to red harissa paste, I also made green harissa, using green chilies instead of red (I used jalapeno, banana, and green bell peppers).  I used it in a beef recipe recently, and we really liked it, so I developed this recipe to use it with chicken.  True pasture raised chicken can be tough, and breasts can be dry, so I decided to brine these as an experiment.  They were so good - moist and tender.

Green Harissa Chicken

serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 chicken breasts, about 2 pounds
• 1 T. himalayan pink salt
• water
• 3 T. green harissa (you can also use red harissa if that's all you have)
  
• 2 T. ghee, melted, or EVOO

INSTRUCTIONS:

If the breasts are very thick at the wide end, cut them in half horizontally.  Cut the chicken breasts into bite size pieces (about 1" square) and place them in a bowl.  

Sprinkle the pieces with the salt, then cover them with water - I used about 2 cups.  Massage the breasts to distribute the salt and water so that each piece is engulfed in the brine.  Let the chicken soak in the brine for one hour. 

Preheat the oven to 425 (I used our toaster oven).

Remove the chicken from the brine and let it rest in a sieve or strainer so that all the water drips away.  Pat them dry with paper towels and also dry the bowl they were in.

Return the chicken to the bowl and add the harissa.  Massage the harissa into the chicken.  Add the ghee or EVOO and massage that into the chicken, too.

Transfer to a sheet pan and roast until cooked through, about 10 minutes.  

I served them with a green bell pepper cream sauce, and petite peas.  To make the cream sauce I heated some heavy cream in a small saucepan, then stirred in some dried green bell pepper powder, which I had made last summer, a pinch of cumin and a little salt.  If you want the cream sauce to be spicy (I didn't) you can stir some of the harissa into it.