A sweet and spicy chicken + sweet potato dinner that you’ll dream of: beautifully caramelized harissa chicken paired with spice-roasted sweet potatoes, a “golden” turmeric tahini sauce, and other Mediterranean-inspired accompaniments. Vibrant, balanced, and packed with flavor!
Now, let me be real with y’all: I’m a sweet potato’s #1 fan. I think I could eat roasted sweet potatoes with every meal for the rest of my life, if I had that choice. These Mediterranean-inspired plates are an absolutely fabulous way to use up those seasonal spuds!!!
The maple harissa marinated chicken pairs so beautifully with the spice mix used to roast the sweet potatoes. I served with a turmeric tahini sauce (recipe below), fresh herbs, a tomato cucumber salad, some greens, and pickled red onions. Hummus, feta, tzatziki, or even roasted red pepper feta sauce would be absolutely delicious here too!
Full recipe for these delicious plates is below. I hope you love them as much as I do!! Enjoy <3
For the Maple Harissa Chicken:
1-1.5lb chicken breasts or thighs, cut into small pieces
1-2 tbsp fiery harissa paste, or more to taste
1 tbsp tomato paste
2-3 tbsp maple syrup (can sub honey)
Juice of ½ lemon
3 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt, or more to taste
freshly cracked black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Allow chicken to marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
When time to cook: heat a skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Add chicken and marinade to pan. Cook until caramelized and browning.
Once there are browned bits on the pan + chicken is cooked through, deglaze the pan with a splash of broth or water. Scrape up those browned bits and stir the chicken around to coat in any residual marinade. Keep warm over low heat.
For the Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
2 lbs sweet potatoes, chopped into ½-1 inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup (can sub honey)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp (mild) chili powder
¼ tsp Ceylon cinnamon (sub regular cinnamon, optional)
1 tsp salt
freshly cracked black pepper
Heat oven to 400F. Combine sweet potatoes with remaining ingredients in a bowl and toss very well to coat sweet potato cubes in spice mixture.
Add sweet potatoes to a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for approximately 30 minutes, or until the exteriors of the sweet potatoes are browned and crisp + the inside is soft and fluffy.
Golden Tahini Sauce:
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
3 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp ground turmeric, or more to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon + more to taste
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt + more to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley + mint (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a jar. Taste, and adjust as needed; if sauce tastes flat, add more acid/salt. It’s all about balancing the flavors! Add water to thin as needed. Stir in some freshly chopped herbs if you’d like.
For serving:
pickled red onions
greens/grains: spinach, rice, quinoa, arugala, kale
avocado
tzatziki, hummus, etc.
feta
chopped tomato cucumber salad
hot honey, or extra harissa
fresh herbs
Add some of your golden tahini sauce to each plate and spread it out. Pile on the sweet potatoes, some greens, chicken, and any other toppings you’d like! Finish with fresh herbs, a drizzle of hot honey, or a bit of extra harissa.
I hope you love this recipe! Tag me and/or comment below if you make it, I’d love to see your creations :)
Make sure to check out my other recent recipes for more easy, healthy, DELICIOUS dinners!!
I hope you’re having a wonderful week <3
With love,
Abigail