Rosey Harissa Chicken

Susan Spungen is a name you might not recognize, although she’s been everywhere. She published her 3rd book, Open Kitchen, in 2020. It’s a cookbook of “inspired food for casual gatherings.” That’s exactly what I enjoy!

So, if you aren’t aware of who Ms. Spungen is, here is Amazon’s summary of her accomplishments:
Susan Spungen is a cook, food stylist, recipe developer, and cookbook author. She was the Founding Food Editor at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia from its inception until 2003. She was the Culinary Consultant and Food Stylist on the feature films Julie & Julia, It’s Complicated, and Eat, Pray, Love. She is the author of Recipes: A Collection for the Modern Cook, What’s a Hostess to Do?, and Strawberries (A Short Stack Edition) and co-author of the best-selling Martha Stewart’s Hors d’Oeuvres Handbook.

The recipes in this cookbook are good. I bookmarked 15, which is a lot for me. They’re definitely inspired, and not fussy or over-the-top. The recipe I chose to make first is Rosey Harissa Chicken, which is a whole chicken marinated overnight in kefir and harissa. Then the chicken is roasted, and sprinkled with Rosey Harissa. After carving the chicken, you throw rose petals over the top!

There are many ways to buy harissa, both in paste form and powdered. You can also make harissa easily yourself.

Below are ground harissa, and the recommended brand of rosey harissa, which contains rose petals!

Rosey Harissa Chicken
serves 4

1 1/2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 – 4-5 pound chicken
3/4 cup kefir
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, grated
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons harissa, plus more to taste
2 large or 4 small shallots, cut in half with skin on
1 head of garlic
1/2 lemon
3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 1/2 tablespoons New York Shuk-brand Rosey Harissa
Dried edible rose petals, optional

Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons of the salt and the pepper in a small bowl. Place the chicken in a wide, shallow work bowl and season it inside and out with the mixture. Separate the skin from the breast.

In a separate bowl, combine the kefir, lemon juice, grated garlic, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, they thyme, and plain harissa. Place the chicken in a 1-gallon plastic bag. Pour the mixture over the chicken and use a rubber spatula to help coat the chicken all over, inside and out, with the mixture.

Push some of the marinade under the skin. Squeeze as much of the air out of the bag as possible. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Scatter the shallots in a small roasting pan or other heavy 9 x 13″ pan. Remove the chicken from the marinade and let the excess coating drip off, leaving a thin coating, and put it in the pan. Cut off the top third of the garlic head. Put the large part face down in the pan and the small part in the cavity. Put the lemon half cut=side down in the pan. Sprinkle the thyme sprigs on top. Add 1/4 cup water to the pan.

Roast the chicken for 45 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Sprinkle the chicken with the Rosey Harissa and start basting with whatever juices have collected in the pan and in the cavity.

Roast, basting every 15 minutes or so and adding 1/4 cup water if the pan looks dry, until the leg feels very loose when jiggled, 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes. (I only did 1 hour and 30 minutes, for fear of overcooking.) The idea is to let it dry a little so the flavors and juices caramelize but do not burn. Always add 1/4 cup water before it starts to burn.

Transfer the chicken to a carving board to rest. Squeeze the lemon and garlic into the pan juices and mash the shallots with a fork. Strain the juices through a mesh sieve, pressing hard on the solids to extract all the juice.

Spoon off some of the grease, if needed. Whisk in extra harissa if you want extra heat.

Pour the jus on a platter. Carve the chicken and arrange it on the platter to soak up the sauce but maintain crispy skin.

As you can see I put the delicious jus in a small bowl. It definitely needed to be de-greased.

Crush the rose petals over the top of the chicken, if using.

I enjoyed dipping the chicken in the jus.

So, this was a fun recipe. I love harissa, and the kefir bath worked similarly to buttermilk. The basting was fun, but it’s really only for the skin. The chicken, not surprisingly, was on the dry side. But mostly I really didn’t enjoy eating rose petals. So I won’t be making this chicken again unless I cook it like I would normally roast a chicken. And omit the rose petals!

But it was all a great experience.

By Published On: February 22nd, 202143 Comments on Rosey Harissa Chicken

About the Author: Chef Mimi

As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!

43 Comments

  1. cookingwithauntjuju.com February 22, 2021 at 6:30 AM - Reply

    I bought Susan’s cookbook back in November after seeing her during a week-long virtual “Friendsgiving” sponsored by the Cherry Bombe (woman’s group). Very impressed with all that she has done. I too have bookmarked a number of recipes and you have given me a perfect recipe to try. Just beautiful…

    • chef mimi February 22, 2021 at 6:45 AM - Reply

      Just don’t throw on too many rose petals unless you like that kind of thing!!!

      • cookingwithauntjuju.com February 22, 2021 at 7:24 AM

        Plain dried rose petals don’t sound good but ground up in a spice mix yes! As a garnish around the chicken for some color – sure, but not to eat…

      • cookingwithauntjuju.com February 24, 2021 at 6:44 AM

        Here is an excellent recipe I received from a fellow blogger for Elaine’s Rose Harissa Spice Mix https://cookingwithauntjuju.com/2016/04/29/elaines-rose-harissa/ It’s one I’ve been using for years – no salt which is what I like! I looked at your harissa recipe – amazing how many different recipes there are.

      • chef mimi February 24, 2021 at 8:11 AM

        Fascinating! I can’t wait to look at it!

  2. angiesrecipes February 22, 2021 at 7:06 AM - Reply

    I made a harissa before, but not really satisfied with the result. Gotta try your recipe some time. The bird is perfectly roasted and looks really juicy and tender.

    • chef mimi February 22, 2021 at 7:12 AM - Reply

      The harissa recipe I created was very good. I just kind of fused together a bunch of different recipes. I prefer using the paste, plus it makes a great mayo. This was a fun recipe to make. Check out https://chefmimiblog.com/harissa if you’re interested.

  3. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen February 22, 2021 at 8:12 AM - Reply

    This looks beyond beautiful and flavorful! Love the rose petals!

  4. bernlag February 22, 2021 at 11:27 AM - Reply

    I just started using harissa and Aleppo pepper. I will try my next roasted chicken this way.

    • chef mimi February 22, 2021 at 1:33 PM - Reply

      I love both! Harissa paste is my favorite.

  5. Marie Renello February 22, 2021 at 1:22 PM - Reply

    Mimi, This sounds delicious, love harissa! Are you on Instagram?

    • chef mimi February 22, 2021 at 1:32 PM - Reply

      Yes, under Chef Mimi! Although there are two of us I think…

  6. popsiclesociety February 22, 2021 at 5:19 PM - Reply

    I even did not know what harissa is 🤪 Thank you for this delicious discovery! And the fact that the chicken is marinated in kefir and harissa, I’m sure is much more flavorful and moist 😋😋

    • chef mimi February 22, 2021 at 5:34 PM - Reply

      I think it got overcooked, personally, but it was a fun recipe to try out. It was flavorful, but not moist. But sometimes you have to follow a recipe exactly to try it out.

  7. Tandy I Lavender and Lime February 22, 2021 at 9:56 PM - Reply

    That was a lot of effort for one roast chicken. I like the flavourings sans the rose petals so something to try.

    • chef mimi February 23, 2021 at 6:54 AM - Reply

      Exactly. And, that last step overcooked it in my book. Plus, I don’t tend to eat skin. The jus was very good.

  8. David @ Spiced February 23, 2021 at 6:30 AM - Reply

    What a unique idea to use rose petals with harissa! Harissa is something that has only recently shown up in grocery stores here. I remember going on a hunt for it years ago, and store employees just gave me a blank look when I asked for it. (Now I know I can make my own!) I haven’t played around with dried rose petals in recipes yet…this sounds like a fun excuse to do just that!

    • chef mimi February 23, 2021 at 6:56 AM - Reply

      Well, I discovered I’m not a fan of dried rose petals! They’re okay ground up in the harissa powder. But I prefer the paste over the ground in any case. I’ve made my own and loved it (on the blog) and I’ve bought the Mina brand, which is very good.

  9. Hannah Kaminsky February 23, 2021 at 8:37 AM - Reply

    Honestly, I’ve been following Susan Spungen for years now and am surprised this is only her third cookbook! Kudos to her for saving the best recipes for each release, rather than focusing on quantity alone. I’d sure love to try these flavors with seitan or tempeh!

    • chef mimi February 23, 2021 at 9:43 AM - Reply

      Wow. I guess you’re serious! I never could embrace tempeh. Love tofu. I guess Susan was working with other people more often than for herself! Quite the bio.

  10. Ben | Havocinthekitchen February 23, 2021 at 11:59 AM - Reply

    Oh my goodness, this recipe looks and sounds sensational to me! I am a huge fan of botanical flavours, but I’ve mostly used them in sweet recipes. Rose flavour and chicken? That’s fantastic! I am also intrigued by this rosey harissa.

    • chef mimi February 23, 2021 at 1:50 PM - Reply

      I really liked the rosey harissa, with the ground up rose petals. The rose petals by themselves were just annoying to me! Great flavors, though, especially if you love harissa!

  11. Raymund February 23, 2021 at 5:13 PM - Reply

    Ohhh I had never cooked with rose petals, they do make that plate look really delicious. I think I better buy some now and try making dishes with it. That chicken looks amazing BTW

    • chef mimi February 24, 2021 at 8:27 AM - Reply

      Honestly, I would personally stick with using them as adornment, but not actually eat them 🤣

  12. Ann Coleman February 23, 2021 at 8:42 PM - Reply

    Sounds delicious!!!

    • chef mimi February 24, 2021 at 8:27 AM - Reply

      It was interesting. I really love the rosey harissa seasoning!

  13. Katherine | Love In My Oven February 23, 2021 at 9:32 PM - Reply

    This looks so beautiful!! Love the rose petals! I love harissa but my kids aren’t big fans. I’ll have to save this for a date night!

    • chef mimi February 24, 2021 at 8:28 AM - Reply

      Of course not. I’ve made it before, and loved the paste. My daughter gave me some leftover Mina brand harissa, because it was too hot for them. Wimps!!!

  14. 2pots2cook February 24, 2021 at 5:38 AM - Reply

    Totally beautiful. Never used rose petals in savoury dishes and it makes me wonder what was I thinking :-) :-) :-) Must do !!!

    • chef mimi February 24, 2021 at 8:28 AM - Reply

      I honestly didn’t like chewing on the rose petals, but the rosey harissa spice is fabulous!

  15. kitchenriffs February 24, 2021 at 9:03 AM - Reply

    Love harissa! I’ve made it often before, but must confess that these days I just buy commercial harissa paste — easier to use. Plus I’m lazy. :-). This is a terrific looking recipe — my kind of food. Thanks.

    • chef mimi February 24, 2021 at 9:04 AM - Reply

      I understand. the Mina brand is good!!!

  16. sippitysup February 25, 2021 at 9:34 AM - Reply

    My gut reaction was much the same as your conclusion! GREG

    • chef mimi February 25, 2021 at 9:35 AM - Reply

      Yeah, stick with dried roses as decoration!!!

  17. Our Growing Paynes February 25, 2021 at 11:19 AM - Reply

    I can see why this would be a hit for entertaining. Looks fancy and delicious.

    • chef mimi February 25, 2021 at 11:21 AM - Reply

      It’s very pretty, for sure. Didn’t really turn out to be of my liking. Oh well!

      • Our Growing Paynes February 25, 2021 at 11:46 AM

        Yeah, that happens with me sometimes as well.

  18. Eva Taylor February 25, 2021 at 3:22 PM - Reply

    Disappointing that the rose petals were a turnoff, they would certainly add the ‘fancy’ factor for dinner guests. I haven’t cooked with harissa much, mainly because I am unable to eat hot foods anymore (damn stomach) but I will try making my own from your recipe. The dish is presented beautifully.

    • chef mimi February 25, 2021 at 3:45 PM - Reply

      Oh no! That’s so sad! I’d really miss spicy ness, but then, I don’t want pain, either.

  19. Liz February 25, 2021 at 4:53 PM - Reply

    I’m all for more casual entertaining! In fact, I think that’s all I do anymore. This chicken is gorgeous but I’m not a fan of rose in desserts, so I probably wouldn’t like the rose petals either.

    • chef mimi February 25, 2021 at 5:06 PM - Reply

      No, you wouldn’t! Years ago I made a rose cookie for my friend’s wedding reception, and it was a sugar cookie dough rolled up with rose petals, then thinly sliced like skinny cinnamon rolls. They were beautiful, and you didn’t get that strong rose scent, fortunately.

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