Harissa & Clementine Chicken Marinade

This versatile marinade can be used for Chicken Thighs, Breasts, whole birds, even fish. It works wonderfully in the oven & out on the grill. The lazy protein gets to bathe in the marinade all day or overnight to let the flavors develop, & the salty brine gets into the meat to plump it up. While I call for clementines in this recipe, feel free to experiment with the citrus of your choosing – this recipe could be excellent with substitutions of other kinds of citrus such as oranges, lemons, or limes.

Some Harissa are dry spice blends & others are wet spice pastes – while I currently have the dry spice blend at home, I’d think both would work equally well with this marinade recipe. In fact, I don’t think my Harissa is spicy enough so I add more crushed red pepper to my marinade – that’s probably too much heat for some – so adjust according to your taste!

What is Harissa? It’s a North African or Mediterranean Spice Blend, just as Curry & Chili are Spice Blends. Depending on who makes the Harissa it might contain, Hot Chili Peppers, Cumin, Coriander & more. Amazon sells many kinds as will your local healthy grocer.

& speaking of taste…this marinade makes for exceedingly tasty chicken! That smell as it is roasting or grilling?  Oh my!