Harissa Again
A few weeks ago, I cooked a whole chicken on the rotisserie that had been marinated in a Harissa Rose and Sumac concoction. The marinade tasted great, but despite the whole chicken sitting in it overnight, it didn’t really come through fully in the cook.
That seems to be a common issue for me when marinating a full chicken. I get some of the flavour of the marinade, but not with the punch I am looking for.
I decided to make the marinade again, this time using chicken thighs, but again cooking on the rotisserie.
Preparation and the Cook
After mixing all the marinade ingredients together, I poured them over the chicken, mixing well, before putting it in the fridge for 8 hours.
As with the whole chicken cook I set the Weber GBS up in the normal way. I placed my ash baskets on each side of the BBQ, so the rotisserie spit would sit over an indirect zone where I placed a foil tray. The foil tray will stop the fat and marinade from dripping into your BBQ bowl.
I usually aim to get the BBQ in the 180-200°C range (it doesn’t matter if it is slightly higher or lower) before starting the cook. Just before I add the spit, I placed 3 cherry wood chunks on the coals to generate some extra smokiness.
The time the chicken takes varies but I don’t take off until the internal temperature hits 75°C. This one took just over 1 ½ hours for 1.5kg of chicken thigh.
The Verdict
I really love cooking marinated chicken thighs in this way. The flavour always comes through and the meat is so tender and juicy but has those lovely charred and crunchy bits on the outside.
If anything I think I would go for an extra tablespoon of the harissa spice, to get the flavour even more pronounced (I only used 2 in the cook).
I served this with Saffron Yogurt again, which really did go with it so. I also topped it with Sumac Onion, using shallots.
A cracking Friday night meal! Felt like a real treat!!!
Harissa Rose & Sumac Kebabs
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg Chicken Thighs (Skinless and de-boned)
- 2-3 tbsp Harissa Rose Spice
- 1 tbsp Sumac
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Lemon Extract
- 1 tsp Rose Water (optional)
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- 30 ml Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and stir well.
- Add the chickens to a large bowl and then pour over the marinade. Get your hands in there and mix well. Cover and place in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
- Set up your BBQ for indirect cooking, with the charcoal baskets pushed to each side. Once it is ready to cook (180°C) add the chicken thighs to the spit and place on the BBQ. Put a foil tray directly under the chicken to prevent any fat and/or marinade from dripping into the BBQ bowl.
- Add 3 wood chunks and then cook the chicken until the internal temperature is 75°C (which took around 1 1/2 hours).
- Remove the chicken from the BBQ, and then carefully slide it off the spit. Slice the thighs into bite sized pieces.
- To plate up, put a layer of salad on the pita then add your chicken. Drizzle the Saffron Yogurt over the chicken and then sprinkle over your Sumac Onions and Pomegranite Seeds (if using).
