Weeknight dinner idea: this harissa and sumac roasted chicken with tzatziki! It is SO good. First, you’ll start by making your marinade with harissa powder, lemon pepper, Spice Tribe Sumac, paprika, salt, pepper and oil, all tossed over a spatchcocked chicken. Second, it’s then baked in the oven with some red onions (SO good when caramelized with the chicken). It becomes crispy, tangy & tender!

Finally, I love to have this chicken with homemade tzatziki, a squeeze of lemon juice and you are SET for dinner. If you’ve never had sumac, it is made from dried and ground berries of the wild sumac flower. It’s tangy, sour & acidic and pairs perfectly with meats, vegetables and sprinkled over as a topping, too.

Ingredients

For The Marinade

• 2 tablespoons harissa powder
• 2 tablespoons lemon pepper
• 1 tablespoon Spice Tribe Wild Cured Sumac
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 whole chicken, backbone removed and split into 2
• 1 red onion, roughly chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon to finish

Tzatziki Sauce

• 1 Persian cucumber, grated
• 7 oz greek yogurt
• 1/2 of a lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 tablespoon dill, chopped
• 1 tablespoon mint, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
• Salt to taste

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Directions

1. Preheat your convection oven to 430 degrees. In a mixing bowl, make your chicken marinade by tossing harissa, lemon pepper, sumac, paprika, salt and pepper and olive oil. Mix well.
2. On a baking dish or oven-safe dish, add your chicken in and toss over your marinade all around the chicken, on all sides. Add in your red onions around the chicken. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees or more.
3. In the meantime, make your tzatziki. In a bowl, add your grated cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, garlic, dill, mint, vinegar and salt. Mix well and set aside.
4. When your chicken is ready, remove from the oven, let rest for 15 minutes, toss over lemon juice. Slice, and serve with your sauce!

Recipe Note

- You can most definitely use chicken parts for this; instead of getting a whole chicken. You can also use a regular whole chicken without the backbone removed.

- I prefer a spatchcocked chicken, because it cooks more evenly, and cooks quicker. It’s also easier to carve!