Harissa Chicken Traybake with Roasted Vegetable Couscous | One Pot One Portion
This single-serve harissa chicken traybake is the perfect easy weeknight dinner when you're cooking for one and short on ideas. It’s quick, easy, with minimal prep, the oven does the work for you but the result tastes like you’ve spent hours on it. It’s pretty much everything I would want a weeknight dinner to be. Simply roast chicken thighs, onion and tomatoes in harissa before adding couscous and letting that soak up all the flavours.
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About this dish
This is my one pot one portion harissa chicken traybake with roasted vegetable couscous. A dreamy little dish that might just be a new staple in my weekly recipe repertoire. And why’s that I hear you ask? Well, it’s quick, easy, with minimal prep, the oven does the work for you but the result tastes like you’ve spent hours on it. It’s pretty much everything I would want a weeknight dinner to be. Simply roast chicken thighs, onion and tomatoes in harissa before adding couscous and letting that soak up all the flavours. Top with feta and coriander/cilantro and you’re done! Of course you can find detailed steps and all the ingredients below.
If you like this recipe you might also like my creamy chicken and chorizo pasta, my single-serve butter chicken or my spiced chicken with saffron rice.
Why you want to make this recipe
40 minute meal
This recipe only takes about 40 minutes. This is a 40 minute one-pan meal that requires minimal prep- the oven does most of the work for you!
One Pot Recipe
As with all of my recipes, this only needs one pot or one pan so there are minimal dishes, which makes every meal time easier and more enjoyable.
Single-Serve
Again, as always, this recipe is for single-serve tacos so you can make this just for yourself! Though it would be very easy to scale up to serve multiple people if needed.
Ingredients and Tools
Chicken Thighs
- I use chicken thighs in this recipe because they are perfect for oven-baking. Where chicken breast may dry out, chicken thighs retain their moisture and flavour due to a slightly higher fat content.
Harissa
- Essentially harissa is a type of chilli paste that is frequently used in cuisines and dishes across North Africa and the Middle East. It's a blend of chillies, spices and herbs ground together with oil to create a fragrant and gently spiced.
Red Onion & Tomatoes
- You could switch up these vegetables depending on your preferences but I love the flavour that both bring, especially if you're using tomatoes on the vine!
Couscous
- I don't use couscous as often as I should but it's such a quick, easy and satiating carbohydrate. It soaks up the flavours from the roasted onions and the chicken juices. See below for a gluten-free substitute if you can't eat couscous.
Feta
- Feta is the perfect way to add a little tang to the end of the dish, rounding off the flavour. It pairs perfectly with the sweet roasted tomatoes and the spiced chicken and couscous.
Step by step instructions
Add the onion to a small ovenproof dish or skillet along with about 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the dried herbs, paprika, chilli flakes and bit of salt and pepper and mix everything together.
Place the chicken thighs on top of the onions then place 1 spoon of the harissa over each thigh. Spread evenly over the top of the chicken thighs and season lightly with salt.
Place the tomatoes in the pan next to the chicken and season again. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, take the chicken thighs and tomatoes out of the pan and place on a plate/your chopping board. Add the couscous and stock to the pan with the onions and mix well together.Place the chicken thighs and tomatoes back in the pan on top of the couscous and bake again for a final 10 minutes (keep an eye on it, if the couscous looks like its catching/too dry then you can add a bit more water).
Once the chicken thighs are fully cooked crumble over some feta and scatter over the fresh coriander. Serve up and remember to fluff up the couscous with a fork as you're doing so!
Variations, substitutions or modifications
Gluten-Free: To make this gluten-free I would substitute couscous for rice instead. For 75g rice you'd need to use 150ml stock/water and add it after the chicken and onions have been in for 10 minutes, meaning the rice will cook for around 30 minutes.
Vegetarian: To make this vegetarian, you could use half a large aubergine with slits cut into it. Brush the harissa over in the same way you would the chicken and cook for the same amount of time. You could also use a few slices of tofu, as brushed in the harissa.
Vegan: To make it vegan, do the above and substitute the feta for a vegan alternative. I think the violife option is great!
FAQs
What is Harissa?
- Essentially harissa is a type of chilli paste that is frequently used in cuisines and dishes across North Africa and the Middle East. It's a blend of chillies, spices and herbs ground together with oil to create a fragrant and gently spiced.
Is Harissa spicy?
- Spice levels can vary depending on the brand of harissa that you buy but in general the paste is spicy but I'd say not as spicy as a chilli oil/chilli crisp.
What can you use instead of Harissa?
- If you want the taste of harissa but can't find the paste then I would mix 1/4 tsp chilli powder, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt for an easy spicy paste.
- If you don't like harissa you could use a curry paste instead. The result would be different, of course, but the method would be the same!
What is Couscous?
- Couscous is technically a very small pasta! Made from semolina and cut into tiny pieces, the result is similar to rice but isn't gluten-free. See above for a gluten-free alternative.
Can I make a double portion?
- You can easily double up this single-serve recipe just by doubling the ingredients.
If you like this recipe you might also like my creamy chicken and chorizo pasta, my single-serve butter chicken or my spiced chicken with saffron rice.
Ingredients
For one serving, you need:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 Red Onion, finely sliced into semi-circles
- 1/2 tsp Dried Italian Herbs
- 1/2 tsp Hot Paprika
- Pinch of Chilli Flakes/Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 Chicken Thighs
- 2 heaped tsp Harissa
- Around 8-10 Cherry Tomatoes, on the vine if possible
- 75g Couscous
- 100g Water plus 1/2 Vegetable/Chicken Stock Cube (or just 100ml Stock)
- Salt
- Black Pepper
To serve:
- Feta
- Handful of Fresh Coriander/Cilantro, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190ºC/170ºC fan
- Add the onion to a small ovenproof dish or skillet along with about 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Add the dried herbs, paprika, chilli flakes and bit of salt and pepper and mix everything together.
- Place the chicken thighs on top of the onions then place 1 spoon of the harissa over each thigh. Spread evenly over the top of the chicken thighs and season lightly with salt.
- Place the tomatoes in the pan next to the chicken and season again.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, take the chicken thighs and tomatoes out of the pan and place on a plate/your chopping board. Add the couscous and stock to the pan with the onions and mix well together.
- Place the chicken thighs and tomatoes back in the pan on top of the couscous and bake again for a final 10 minutes (keep an eye on it, if the couscous looks like its catching/too dry then you can add a bit more water).
- Once the chicken thighs are fully cooked crumble over some feta and scatter over the fresh coriander. Serve up and remember to fluff up the couscous with a fork as you're doing so!
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Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you eating!
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you
Follow Eleanor on socials and knew I NEEDED this book immediately! SO glad I paid extra and had it shipped from the UK (to US). Eleanor's voice is loud and clear in every recipe. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are perfectly clear, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I cannot recommend this book enough!
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One of the best things about the book is that all the recipes are actually cooked in one pot - in a lot of other so-called books you still have to make your side dish in a separate pot. With these recipes, even if they include rice or pasta, it's all cooked together. No mountains of washing up!
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