Harissa Spiced Chicken Tacos

Harissa Spiced Grilled Tacos are a great option for taco night, and are a little off-the-beaten-path of your typical taco night fare. Harissa chile sauce is a bold mix of cumin, red chiles, coriander, garlic and citrus — and if you can’t tell already by that group of spices, these tacos are next level! Altogether they pack a bite of tangy, smoky heat but add some honey, cinnamon, and a squeeze of orange the chicken caramelizes into flavor that’s out of this world. These amazing Harissa Spiced Grilled Tacos are topped with avocado, pickled red onion, and cilantro…plan to cook plenty because leftovers will not be a problem!

—

Recipe from @tommy__burgers on Instagram

INGREDIENTS

  • 12 Chicken Thighs
FOR THE LEMON YOGURT:
  • 1 cup of greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
FOR THE HARISSA MARINADE:
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons harissa paste (or to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • zest and juice of 1/2 an orange
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
TO SERVE:
  • 6-8 corn tortillas
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • pickled red onion
  • cilantro (coriander) leaves
  • lemon wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. To start, make the lemon yogurt simply by placing all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. You can make this in advance and keep in the fridge until needed.
  2. Next, place all the ingredients in a ziplock bag, toss to coat evenly, and place in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours and maximum overnight. Once marinaded, allow to come to a cool room temp before cooking.
  3. Start your Yoder Smoker YS640S, setting it up for direct grilling over high heat 500F with the damper all the way to the left for maximum heat.
  4. Place some grill grates over the fire and let it come up to temp.
  5. Grill the chicken for a few minutes on each side. You’re not looking to cook the chicken all the way, you just want to get some really good color and grill marks. Be careful not to burn as the marinade has honey.
  6. When you are happy with the colour, move the chicken over to the indirect side of the bbq and continue cooking until you reach a temp of 170F using your instant read thermometer for accurate results.
  7. When the chicken is cooked to temp, transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 3-4 minutes tented.
  8. In the meantime, heat your tortillas and slice your avocado.
  9. Finally, chop your chicken into strips. Spread some yogurt sauce on your tortilla, add some harissa spiced chicken and avocado slices, then top with some pickled red onion, chopped cilantro and a slice of lemon.
  10. Then enjoy!