There are 3 things that my husband loves in this world more than almost anything, and those things are chicken, chickpeas and sweet potatoes. So I’ve definitely experimented many times with incorporating all of these things into one meal. I recently encountered this recipe from Bon Appetit for roasted chicken with harissa chickpeas. But since I didn’t have any harissa, I made some tweaks based on what I had in my kitchen. The results, as you may have guessed, were delicious.

What I Used:

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 lbs.)
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 15-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon pure chile powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Lemon wedges, for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet (or other oven-proof skillet – I’m partial to my cast iron) over medium-high heat.




3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then work in batches to cook it in the skillet. Cook about 5 minutes per side until chicken is browned. Transfer to a plate when done.
4. Pour drippings from pan, leaving about 1 tbsp. in the pan. Then, add the garlic and onion to the pan. Cook until softened and fragrant, stirring often (about 3 minutes).
5. Add in the tomato paste and cook for about a minute, stirring frequently, until sauce begins to darken.
6. Add in the chickpeas, lemon juice, broth and other spices. Then bring sauce to a simmer.
7. Add chicken back into the pan, skin side up, nestling it between the chickpeas. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven.
8. Roast the chicken for about 20-25 minutes, or until it is cooked all the way through. Serve with lemon wedges as a garnish. I served mine with a side of sweet potato because duh.