Harissa Chicken with Herby Lemon Couscous

Ingredients

• 600 g chicken thigh fillets
• 2 tbsp rose harissa paste, jarred
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 200 g instant couscous
• 240 ml hot chicken stock
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 20 g fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 20 g fresh mint, roughly torn
• 150 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 150 g Greek yogurt
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• 1 tsp chilli flakes, optional
• Warm pitta bread, to serve
• Chopped salad, to serve

Method

1. Mix the rose harissa, olive oil, a generous pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper in a bowl. Season the chicken thighs well before they hit the marinade — salt now means flavour all the way through, not just on the surface. Toss until every piece is slick and red.
2. Heat a large frying pan or griddle over high heat until it's smoking hot — you want serious heat for the char. Lay the thighs in two batches, not all at once. Crowd the pan and the meat steams in its own juices instead of charring; you want space around each piece so the harissa caramelises and the edges blacken.
3. Cook 5–6 minutes each side until deeply blackened at the edges and the juices run clear when pierced at the thickest point. Lift onto a board and rest for 2 minutes — the juices settle back into the meat instead of running out the moment you slice. Slice on the diagonal.
4. Tip the couscous into a bowl, pour over the hot stock, stir once, cover with a plate and leave for 5 minutes. Fluff thoroughly with a fork until every grain is loose and separate — clumped couscous is just under-fluffed couscous.
5. Stir the halved cherry tomatoes, lemon zest, the lemon juice, parsley and mint through the couscous. The lemon juice does the heavy lifting here — it lifts the herbs and cuts through the richness of the harissa chicken to come. Taste, season with salt and pepper, taste again. Couscous always needs more salt than you think — adjust now, not at the table.
6. For the yoghurt, grate the garlic finely — finer than you think — and stir into the Greek yoghurt with a pinch of salt. Raw garlic is fierce, so a fine grate means it disappears into the yoghurt rather than catching you in single hot bites. Don't let it sit too long or it'll turn sharp; make this just before serving.
7. Pile the herby couscous onto plates, lay the sliced harissa chicken over the top with any resting juices pooled around it, and spoon the cool garlic yoghurt alongside. Scatter the chilli flakes over for those who want heat, finish with extra mint and parsley leaves, and tuck a lemon wedge on each plate to squeeze over at the table.