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    Home » Dinner Recipes » Harissa Chicken and Cauliflower Sheet Pan

    Harissa Chicken and Cauliflower Sheet Pan

    Published: Aug 21, 2020 · Modified: Jan 15, 2023 by Low-Carb Simplified · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    If you love chicken with a bit of a kick, then you'll love this Harissa Chicken and Cauliflower Sheet Pan, adapted from Melissa Clark at the New York Times.

    Final Harissa Chicken and Cauliflower on a plate served with a side of yogurt sauce.

    It's no surprise the original recipe ranked in the NYT Cooking's top 50 recipes of all time since it's SO delicious. We adapted the recipe to reduce the carbs and simplify the recipe. The preparation for the chicken is the same as the original recipe — we just replaced the potatoes and leeks with cauliflower florets. However, you may keep the leeks in the recipe since they're fairly low in carbs.

    We love the heat in the harissa marinade, but 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.

    This adapted recipe is a perfect weeknight recipe since it's so easy to prepare and quick to bake. The marinade takes less than 5 minutes to make, and after marinating for roughly 20 minutes, the chicken and cauliflower just take 20 minutes to bake.

    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

    Harissa chicken and cauliflower ingredients in bowls and labeled.

    Just a few notes on key ingredients:

    Chicken thighs: We use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipes, but you could also use bone-in, skin-on thighs. Another tasty option, would be drumsticks. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time as needed (due to varying size) and use a cooking thermometer to check for doneness.

    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 1 gram of net carbs per tablespoon (and not teaspoon).

    Cauliflower: Cauliflower pairs so well with harissa. Be sure to cut into similar-size florets for roasting.

    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 small bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons olive oil, harissa and cumin.

    STEP 2: Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine chicken, cauliflower and harissa sauce. Mix until sauce covers chicken and cauliflower. Let sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes (if longer then refrigerate).

    Making harissa marinade.
    Harissa marinade with chicken and cauliflower in a bowl.

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

    STEP 4: In a single layer, place chicken and cauliflower on rimmed baking sheet. Bake for roughly 20 minutes, until chicken reaches 165 degrees on thermometer. After chicken and cauliflower are done baking, plate chicken with cauliflower and spoon yogurt over the top. Serve leftover yogurt on the side for dipping

    Yogurt sauce being mixed in a bowl.
    Final harissa chicken and cauliflower served on a plate with a serving of yogurt sauce.

    Related Recipes

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    • Keto Baked Chicken Thighs with Smoked Paprika (Easy Sheet Pan Meal!)
    • Keto Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks
    • Spatchcock Chicken with Thyme, Rosemary & Garlic

    If you try this recipe, we would love to hear your feedback! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag @lowcarbsimplified on your photo of this recipe on Instagram or Facebook. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

    Harissa Chicken and Cauliflower Sheetpan

    Low-Carb Simplified
    If you love chicken with a bit of a kick, then you'll love this low-carb and keto Harissa Chicken and Cauliflower Sheet Pan. It's delicious!
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    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Additional Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Dinner Recipes
    Cuisine North African
    Servings 3
    Calories 612.7 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
    • 3 cups cauliflower florets (about 9 ounces)
    • 2 tablespoons harissa spicy
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • ½ cup Greek yogurt (see notes if you don't like yogurt)
    • 1 garlic clove minced
    • Salt and pepper to season
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice optional

    Instructions
     

    • Get started: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread a small amount of olive oil on rimmed baking sheet.
    • Prepare sheet pan: In a small bowl, stir together olive oil (3 Tb.), harissa and cumin. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine chicken, cauliflower and harissa sauce. Mix until sauce covers chicken and cauliflower. Let sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes (if longer then refrigerate).
    • Bake: In a single layer, place chicken and cauliflower on rimmed baking sheet. Bake for roughly 20 minutes, until chicken reaches 165 degrees on thermometer.
    • Finish and serve: While chicken bakes, mix yogurt, minced garlic and lemon juice (optional) in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. After chicken and cauliflower are done baking, plate chicken with cauliflower and spoon yogurt over the top. Serve leftover yogurt on the side for dipping.

    Notes

    If you don't like yogurt, you could use plain sour cream or even store-bought tzatziki as a replacement.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 612.7kcalCarbohydrates: 7.8gProtein: 60.8gFat: 35.6gSaturated Fat: 8.9gCholesterol: 306mgSodium: 903.5mgFiber: 1.7gSugar: 2.7gNet Carbs: 6.1gProtein Percentage: 40%
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