Super Food In Minutes20 Minutes

Harissa Chicken with Rainbow Salad

Name: Harissa Chicken with Rainbow Salad
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 3 tbsp rose harissa paste; finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon; 2 tbsp low-fat Greek yoghurt; 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 1 x 220g (8oz) bag rainbow salad; 1 avocado, sliced; 1 x 400g (14oz) tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed; handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley

You can get lots of different kinds of harissa paste, but the rose variety has an extra layer of deliciousness – do keep an eye out for it.

Donal SkehanFrom the series · Super Food In Minutes

20 min totalServes 4Easy

Time20 min

Serves4

SkillEasy

ShowSuper Food In Minutes

Method

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and spread all over with the harissa paste and a sprinkling of lemon zest. Fry over a medium–high heat for 3–4 minutes on each side until just cooked through. Set aside to rest, then slice and combine with the yoghurt while the chicken is still warm.

Mix the lemon juice with some seasoning in a salad bowl and whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil.

Add the rainbow salad, avocado, chickpeas and parsley and toss gently to combine. Serve with the harissa chicken.

Cook's notes

Boneless thighs are far more forgiving than breasts — they stay juicy even if you give them a minute too long, and they take on the harissa beautifully.
Season the chicken, slather on the harissa and zest the lemon over the top, then let it sit while the pan heats — even those few minutes help the spice work into the meat.
Slice the chicken while it's still warm and stir the yoghurt straight through; the residual heat loosens it into a silky dressing rather than a cold blob on top.
Whisk the lemon juice, seasoning and extra-virgin olive oil until properly emulsified so the dressing clings to the leaves instead of pooling in the bowl.
Dress the salad only just before serving — the avocado and leaves wilt quickly once the lemon and oil are on them.

Serve with It's a full plate as it stands, but a stack of warm flatbreads or a bowl of couscous turns it into a bigger meal for hungry eaters. A cold glass of something crisp and lemony alongside doesn't hurt.

Make ahead & storage Best eaten fresh while the salad has its crunch, but the harissa chicken keeps in the fridge for up to two days - dress the leaves separately and only combine when you're ready to eat.

20 Minutes

Recipe by Donal Skehan · From the series Super Food In Minutes · Photography © Appetite Media
Published 13 July 2026 · Updated 15 July 2026

Nutrition

Per serving

433kcal

27gprotein

14gcarbs

28gfat

Figures from the show's kitchen.

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