Ramadan Recipes: Grilled Harissa Chicken

Don’t marinate the chicken for too long. Because there is acid in the marinade, don’t let the chicken sit for more than a couple of hours, or the chicken can become tough. The marinade is rich, so it only requires 15 minutes to an hour.

Bring the chicken to room temperature before adding it to the grill. Adding cold chicken to a hot grill pan can result in a tough texture. Because the marinade time is less than 1 hour, you can leave the chicken at room temperature to marinate.

Preheat your grill before adding the chicken. This results in those lovely grill marks and helps to cook the thighs through evenly. It also makes it easier to flip the chicken as it is less likely to get stuck to the grates. You should allow the grill 15 minutes to properly heat up.

Close the grill or use a lid when grilling the chicken. This allows the chicken to cook more evenly all around instead of charring on the outside before the inside is thoroughly cooked. If you’re using a grill pan, use a lid.