Harissa Chicken with Vegetable Marga

This recipe is one that Jane invented, "once upon a time"... It came to mind the other day while I was making my home-made Harissa.

[Note: a "marga" is another name for a tagine. Not the dish you cook it in, but the stuff you cook, in the same way that we use the term "casserole".]
Harissa chicken with vegetable marga (serves 2, generously!)  Ingredients1 small whole chicken1 large carrot, peeled1 large red onion, peeled200g butternut squash, peeled200g Sweet Potato, peeled (I used my home-grown ones!)1 tin chopped tomatoes (I replaced this with a tub of home-made tomato sauce and 4 medium-sized fresh tomatoes, skinned)4 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole2 lemons4 fresh Bay leaves1 tbsp Harissa paste (adjust to taste)2 tbsp olive oilSalt and pepper To accompany100g couscous, prepared according to manufacturer's directions. (I added some chopped fresh Parsley.) 

Vegetables, prepped.

  MethodSet oven to 190C, gas mark 5Loosen the neck flap of the chicken, ease the skin away from the breast, spread the Harissa paste over the breast and press the skin back in place
Smear a little of the Harissa all over the skin of the chickenPlace chicken in a large roasting-tinHalve one of the lemons, and squeeze the juice over the chicken. Place squeezed lemons inside the cavity of the chickenCut vegetables into 3cm cubesPlace prepared vegetables around the chicken, along with the whole garlic cloves and the other lemon, cut into wedgesDrizzle olive oil over everything and season with salt and pepper

Roast for 75 minutes or until chicken is cooked, stirring vegetables occasionally Remove chicken from roasting-tin, allow to stand for 10 minutes before carvingMeanwhile, remove lemon wedges and Bay leaves from the vegetablesSpoon off as much fat as possible, leaving juices in the pan
Tip tomatoes into the roasting-tin and simmer over a medium heat for 2 - 3 minutes, mixing well with a wooden spoon, and crushing any large lumps of vegetable into the sauce. 

Adding tomatoes and tomato sauce to the roasted vegetables

 

The "sauce" after crushing most of the veg

 To servePlace prepared couscous onto individual platesPlace pieces of carved chicken on top of couscousSpoon marga (sauce) on top of chickenGarnish with green saladServe immediately! 

I really enjoyed this meal. The soft gooey sauce was full of the flavor of roasted veg, and both spicy and sweet at the same time. The Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, and Carrot - and to a lesser degree the Tomatoes - are all sweet, and of course the chillis in the Harissa contribute the warmth and spiciness, that tingle in the mouth that lingers for several minutes after you swallow. The chicken skin was beautiful too - crispy and tangy - whereas the meat underneath was beautifully moist.
If you enjoyed this, you might like to visit Jane's blog to read about her "Jerk-ish Chicken", also made with my Harissa...