Grilled harissa chicken skewers with a spicy kick are a perfect summer grill recipe that's ultra flavorful, healthy and easy to make!

Not much prep work or marination time is needed for these deliciously spicy, tender and juicy grilled harissa chicken skewers. And they're made with just a few pantry ingredients including cumin, fresh garlic, lemon juice and harissa.

This harissa chicken recipe is inspired by this harissa sheet pan dinner from Melissa Clark at the New York Times. Of course, you can simply bake the chicken as done in this easy sheet pan recipe, but we love the charring and smoky flavor that the grill adds. Either way, you can't wrong.

Although we love the flavorful harissa marinade in these chicken skewers, the yogurt topping (which tames the spice) takes the chicken to the next level. If you don't like yogurt, you could use plain sour cream or even store-bought tzatziki as a replacement. For us, it's a must!

These grilled chicken skewers are ideal for gatherings or weeknight dinners since they're so easy to prepare and quick to grill. The marinade takes less than 5 minutes to make, and after marinating for roughly 20 minutes, the chicken goes on the grill.

What is Harissa?

Harissa is a hot chili sauce from Northern Africa that livens up meats and veggies with a little heat. It's typically made with roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers, garlic, olive oil caraway seeds, coriander seeds and cumin. Per tablespoon, it's usually 1 to 2 net carbs.

Key Ingredients

Just a few notes on key ingredients:

Chicken: You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts for the chicken skewers. Chicken thighs are typically more juicy and tender, but breasts can be a little easier to work with. I prefer chicken thighs and my husband prefers chicken breasts. It's a toss up at our house.

Harissa: We use Mina Harissa, a well-known brand that uses clean and simple ingredients and is only 1 net carb per tablespoon. Some harissa brands have more net carbs than others. Be sure to check the ingredients and avoid getting any with added sugar. When it comes to net carbs, we recommending sticking to one gram of net carbs per tablespoon (not teaspoon).

Extra-virgin olive oil: Olive oil is part of the marinade and helps the flavor penetrate the chicken and keep it moist.

Cumin: A little cumin is added to enhance flavor and spice.

Garlic: Garlic enhances the harissa sauce marinade and flavors the yogurt sauce.

Lemon juice: Lemon juice tenderizes the chicken and flavors the yogurt sauce.

Greek yogurt: We use FAGE Greek yogurt in this for the yogurt sauce. You can use any level of fat in the Greek yogurt: zero, two or five percent fat. If you don't like yogurt, you could use plain sour cream or even store-bought tzatziki as a replacement.

How to Make

STEP 1: In a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon lemon juice, olive oil, harissa, minced garlic and cumin.

STEP 2: Cut the chicken into 1 ½- to 2-inch pieces that are roughly the same size. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Combine chicken with harissa sauce in large bowl. Mix until sauce covers chicken. Let sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes (if longer then refrigerate).

STEP 3: Mix yogurt, minced garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

STEP 4: After marinating the chicken, thread onto skewers, leaving a little space between each piece of chicken. Heat the grill to high and place the skewers directly over heat and grill for about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the skewers and grill for an additional 4 to 5 minutes (for about 10 minutes total), until thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Remove skewers from grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Plate and serve with yogurt sauce and lemon wedges (for squeezing over chicken).

Expert Skewer Tips

• If using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water for 20 to 30 minutes, so they don't burn while grilling. Or, you can use metal skewers (no prep needed except ensuring they're clean).
• Cut the chicken into 1 ½- to 2-inch pieces that are roughly the same size, which is important for even grilling
• Marinate chicken marinate with harissa for at least 20 minutes. If longer, place in the refrigerator to marinate. Do no marinate the chicken any longer than a day (no more than 24 hours) as the acid can break down the chicken.
• When threading skewers, leave a little bit of space between chicken pieces for more even grilling.
• Be sure to oil grill grate before grilling skewers to prevent chicken from sticking to grill.
• Grill on high heat for about 5 minutes per side (or more if needed), until chicken reaches 165 degree F.

How to Store Leftovers

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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