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Main · Dinner · Chicken · Yogurt · Gluten-Free

Harissa Fig Grilled Chicken

The yogurt keeps the chicken tender on the grill, and the harissa brings the heat. Fig jam in the marinade mostly helps it brown, so the fig flavor comes from the glaze brushed on in the last minute.

Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Serves
6
1×
Equipment
grill · small pot
Grilled chicken pieces piled together, glossy orange with fig harissa glaze and dark charred grill marks

Instructions

  1. Marinate. Whisk the fig jam into the lemon juice so it mixes in smoothly, then whisk in the rest of the marinade. Coat the chicken and refrigerate for about 6 hours; anywhere from 2 to 8 works.
  2. Grill. Lift the chicken out and let the extra marinade drip off into the bowl. Grill over medium-high heat for 5–6 minutes a side, until thighs reach 175°F and breasts reach 165°F. Breasts usually finish first.
  3. Warm the glaze. While the chicken grills, stir the glaze ingredients in a small pot over low heat until loose and brushable, 1–2 minutes.

Fig harissa glaze in a pot, deep red-orange and glossy with fig seeds, a spoon at the edge

  1. Glaze. In the last minute, brush the glaze on the chicken, flip for 20–30 seconds to set it, then brush the other side and pull it off. Any earlier and the jam burns. If the grill is flaring up, glaze it right after it comes off.
  2. Rest. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice.

Serving ideas

The center of the Greek Bowl, or on its own with Honey-Roasted Rainbow Carrots.

Notes

  • Don’t marinate for more than a day, or the yogurt makes the texture mushy.
  • The glaze keeps a week in the fridge. Warm it to loosen before brushing.