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This simple Baked Sticky Honey Harissa Chicken is an easy weeknight staple. Crispy homemade chicken “wings” are tossed in a sticky honey harissa sauce. Serve with homemade fries or a side of rice for the easiest sheet pan dinner. Fun, flavorful, and perfect for entertaining or a quick weeknight meal.
Happy Met Monday! Today basically feels like the Super Bowl of fashion, and honestly, I look forward to the Met Gala every single year. My sister and I always end up turning it into our own little event at home. Some years we make pizza and salads, sometimes pasta, and sometimes it turns into a full girls’ night dinner situation.
But this year, we wanted something a little more fun and casual—something that felt a bit more “game day” inspired.
I’ve actually had this Sticky Honey Harissa Chicken on our menu for weeks now, and the Met Gala finally gave me the perfect excuse to make it. I tested the recipe last week, and it turned out so good on the very first try. The sauce is loosely inspired by the way I make buffalo sauce, but with spicy harissa and sweet honey instead. It’s sticky, spicy, sweet, and incredibly good.
When I serve this, I usually go one of two ways. Either with hand-cut fries and a few sauces on the side for dipping—more casual, bar-food style—or over rice with a side of grilled asparagus or garlicky broccoli for an easy dinner situation.
Either way, it’s one of those recipes everyone gets excited about. The entire dinner comes together in under an hour, and it’s the perfect balance of easy, flavorful, and just plain fun to eat.
Here are the details
Ingredients
- boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- smoked paprika
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- salt and black pepper
- flour or gluten-free flour
- olive oil
- salted butter
- garlic
- harissa sauce or harissa paste
- balsamic vinegar
- honey
- sesame seeds
- green onions
For the Tahini Ranch
- tahini
- lemon juice
- dried chives
- dried parsley
- dried dill
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- sea salt and pepper
Kitchen Supplies
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- measuring spoons
- large skillet (on sale right now!)
- wire rack
The Steps
Step 1: Prep the Chicken
Start with the chicken. I like to use a mix of chicken breasts and thighs, cut into cubes, but either works well on its own too. Toss the chicken with smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add the flour and toss again until everything is lightly coated.
The flour is the secret to getting those crispy edges in the oven. It’s not heavily breaded—just enough to give the chicken a light coating so the sauce really clings to every piece.
Spread the chicken out on a sheet pan and bake in a very hot oven until crisp and cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Step 2: Make the Sauce
While the chicken cooks, make the sauce. Combine butter, garlic, harissa, balsamic vinegar, and honey in a skillet or saucepan.
Let everything simmer together for a few minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and becomes glossy. Finish with a pich of sea salt. It’s spicy, sweet, sticky, and so flavorful.
Step 3: Toss the Chicken
As soon as the chicken comes out of the oven, pour the warm sauce right over top and toss well to coat.
The crispy chicken soaks up all that sticky sauce perfectly. Every bite is sweet, spicy, buttery, and honestly so good.
Step 4: Make the Tahini Ranch
Next comes the tahini ranch. It’s simple, lighter than traditional ranch, and really delicious with the spicy chicken.
Whisk together tahini, dried herbs, lemon juice, and seasonings until creamy and smooth. It has all the flavors of ranch, but with a slightly nuttier flavor from the tahini.
Serve the chicken with homemade fries, rice, or a side of broccoli. I always finish everything with sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onions for a little crunch and touch of color!
Looking for other simple meals? Here are my favorites:
The 30 Most Popular Super Bowl Recipes 2024
One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema
Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Salmon with Caesar Roasted Potatoes
One Skillet Cheesy Green Chile Chicken
Sheet Pan Honey Buffalo Chicken with Broccoli
Lastly, if you make this Sticky Honey Harissa Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes on social media you all have made is my favorite!
Sticky Honey Harissa Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, or thighs cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour or gluten-free flour
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup harissa sauce, or 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
Ranch
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dried chives
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or rub with oil.2. On the sheet pan, toss together the chicken, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add the flour and toss again. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and toss to coat. Arrange the chicken evenly on the baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.3. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until it begins to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the harissa, balsamic, and honey. Season with salt and chile flakes 4. Pour the harissa sauce over the chicken and toss the chicken up in the sauce.5. To make the tahini ranch, combine everything in a bowl, whisking in 1/4 to 1/2 cup water to thin the dressing. Taste and season with salt and pepper.6. Serve the chicken and harissa sauce with ranch. Ideally, add some home-cut fries on the side too. YUM!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Amazing! I made with turkey loin and cubed tofu served over rice.
Another great recipe. Will repeat!
Hey Belkys,
I appreciate you making this recipe and taking the time to comment, so glad it was a winner!
Have a great Sunday!
Another incredibly flavorful and well balanced combo of flavors. Thanks for making me look good, once again! : )
Hey Cheryl,
Happy Friday! I’m thrilled to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and taking the time to comment!
This was a fine amount of spice for me, but was too spicy for husband and son. Would probably cut the amount of Harissa if I made again.
The tahini dipping sauce–while delicious–felt like a weird accompaniment. Would probably do a yogurt/lemon sauce if I wanted to tinker and try again.
I think the method of coating and roasting the chicken was genius. It turned out really juicy and lovely…and was so fuss-free.
Hi Beth,
Thank you very much for making this recipe and sharing your detailed feedback. I hope you will make it again!
This was fantastic – my family has already requested that I make it again. Using the revised 400 F temperature and chicken tenders (as recommended by a reviewer) it turned out perfect – juicy and delicious. Instead of store bought harissa sauce I used homemade harissa from another HBH recipe.
We had extra tahini sauce leftover and had it another night with roasted broccoli. I would make the tahini sauce just as a dipping sauce for roasted vegetables.
Great combination of flavors in this recipe! Thank you for sharing your recipes
Hey Tracey,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing what worked well for you. So glad to hear it was enjoyed by your family!
Good receipt and not difficult to make. I added more honey and paprika to the sauce. The vinegar taste was to strong for me.
Thanks so much, Joshua! Glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you!
You don’t say when to add chopped garlic. I assume after heating butter?
Hi Chris,
Yes, that is correct, so sorry for any confusion. I hope you love this recipe!