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Harissa-Yogurt Marinated Chicken with Cucumber-Quinoa Salad in pink bowl with wooden fork.
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5 from 14 votes

Harissa-Yogurt Marinated Chicken with Cucumber- Quinoa Salad

Servings: 4 people
Author: Alex Snodgrass

Ingredients

For the Chicken Marinade:

  • ¼ cup avocado oil
  • 2 tbsp harissa
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 7 oz. Greek yogurt I use 2%
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thigh

For the Quinoa Salad:

  • 1 cup traditional white quinoa
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1 ½ cups thinly sliced persian cucumber
  • ¼ cup chopped dill fronds
  • ½ cup roughly chopped mint
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 4 ounces block feta thinly sliced (can sub for crumbled feta)

Instructions

Marinate the Chicken:

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the avocado oil, harissa, garlic, greek yogurt, lemon juice, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper and whisk until well combined and smooth. Trim the chicken of excess fat and add the trimmed chicken to the harissa-yogurt mixture. Cover and let marinade for at least 2 hours, and up to overnight in the refrigerator.

Make the Quinoa Salad:

  • Bring 1 cup of quinoa and 1 ½ cups water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then gently fluff with a fork.
  • Transfer the cooked quinoa to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature (you can also cover and chill for up to 3 days and make this salad later).
  • Once the quinoa has cooled, add the cucumber, dill and mint; stir to combine.
  • In a separate bowl, add the garlic, olive oil, champagne vinegar and lemon juice. Whisk to combine then pour over the quinoa mixture. Stir to combine.
  • Add the feta, and gently toss once more. Set aside while you grill the chicken.

Grill the Chicken:

  • Heat grill over medium-high heat (350- 400℉) and oil the grill grates. Tto do this, dip a wadded paper towel in a little avocado oil and, using tongs, wipe the oil evenly over the grate. Be careful not to use too much oil, because that's a sure fire way to start a good flare-up—a little goes a long way here.
  • Cook the chicken over the heat for 4 minutes per side, until the pieces turn golden and grill marks appear. The lid should be closed throughout the cooking process.
  • Flip the pieces once more and turn heat to medium-low, about 300°F, for 3-5 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through and the internal temp is 165°F.
  • Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5-8 minutes before slicing and serving with the quinoa-cucumber salad.