This Roasted Chicken with Chickpeas is a one pot meal that features crisp, moist chicken thighs nestled in a flavorful, spicy tomato sauce that is perfectly mellowed and balanced with hearty chickpeas.
A few days ago a friend texted me asking for an easy and delicious chicken dish to serve dinner guests. Immediately I thought of our family favorite: Roasted Chicken with Chickpeas.
Roasted Chicken with Chickpeas fulfills all of my requirements for the perfect weeknight meal: It’s healthy. It’s easy. And it’s delicious. As an added bonus, it’s also impressive enough to make for guests.
Aside from the savory, satisfying deliciousness of this recipe, I love how easy and quick it is to make. It’s all made in one pan. You start by searing bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (that’s what gives you the crisp chicken). Then toss in the rest of the ingredients. Then shove the whole pan into the oven to roast. The most complicated part is making sure you use an oven-proof pan 
If you’re not familiar with harissa, let me introduce you to one of the most savory, flavor-packed condiments out there. It’s a North African chili pepper paste that’s made with bell peppers, an array of spicy peppers, spices, and vegetable oil (to preserve the spread).
To be upfront and honest with you, harissa can be spicy, very spicy. After all, its main ingredient is pepper. But I have an easy solution if you have a low spice threshold (which my kids do). I like to substitute half of the harissa with sun dried tomato paste. All I do is measure out the desired amount of oil packed sun dried tomatoes, and blend them in the food processor to make a paste. I use that in place of some of the harissa.
You can make your own harissa, but I love the version I get from Whole Foods. It’s a little less spicy, and more importantly it’s packed with just the right spices and herbs.
At dinner, we eat this Roasted Chicken with Chicken with Chickpeas with a loaf of crusty bread. I suppose you could serve it with rice or quinoa, but I feel like the chickpeas provide a substantial amount carbohydrates and bulk to the meal. If you’re looking for an easy, healthy, flavorful meal, you have to try this one pan Roasted Chicken with Chickpeas. It is the perfect well-balanced, weeknight meal that’s impressive enough to serve to guests.
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- 2, 15-ounce cans of chickpeas
- 2 tbs harissa paste
- 2 tbs sun dried tomato paste (see the post on how to make this)
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Lemon wedges for serving
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Heat an ovenproof pan over medium heat on the stove.
- Working with 4 pieces of chicken at a time, once the pan is hot, sear the chicken on each side for about 5 minutes per side. Start with the skin side down first.
- Repeat with the next 4 thighs.
- Place the seared chicken on a plate while continuing he recipe.
- Drain all but 1 tbs of chicken fat from the pan.
- Add the onion and cook until soft, stirring often.
- Add the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute or two.
- Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring until it darkens (about 1 minute).
- Add the chickpeas, harissa, sun dried tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a simmer.
- Nestle the chicken, skin side up, in the chickpeas.
- Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven.
- Roast until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Top with parsley and serve with fresh lemon squeezed over and lemon sliced.
This post is linked to these awesome parties.
