Grilled Harissa Chicken with Cucumber Yogurt Dressing

This is Gail Simmon's recipe from Kitchen Daily. I had to try it as we love all the ingredients so what could be bad? Our outdoor grill is snow-covered so I grilled the chicken in the grill pan (not my first choice). Harissa if you are unfamiliar is a North African condiment consisting often of coriander seeds, caraway seeds, garlic, sometimes ginger and various chilies to make a paste or sauce. I could have made my own but had a jar of Mustapha's Moroccan Harissa.

Ingredients
Chicken:
2 chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
3 tablespoons harissa
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper




Dressing:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 hothouse cucumber, peeled, deseeded and finely diced
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Marinate the chicken: Place chicken in a flat baking dish and season with salt and pepper. In a separate, large mixing bowl combine harissa, yogurt, paprika, lemon zest and grated garlic then pour over chicken breast. Cover with plastic wrap then place in the refrigerator for 3 hours.


2. Pre-heat outdoor grill or griddle pan. Remove chicken from marinade and wipe off all excess marinade. Season both sides with salt and pepper then place on hot grill. Cook 6-8 minutes per side turning once so the chicken has even grill marks. Remove and set aside to rest.


3. In a large bowl, combine yogurt with diced cucumber, lemon zest, cumin, salt, pepper and olive oil. Slice chicken breast on the bias and serve with cucumber dressing.

Bo yearning to be human and sit at the table:

Served with cous cous and a cucumber/tomato/red onion/chickpea salad. For the salad I make a dressing with some fresh lemon juice and olive oil.