Light and Aromatic Harissa Chicken Salad with Yogurt & Cucumber Sauce

I had a bit of an indulgent week food-wise so I was feeling like cooking something healthy and light for dinner. Not willing to compromise on flavor I decided to revert back to an old favorite of mine which is super easy to make and is fragrant, delicious and versatile.

I really like to make this chicken into a salad but it can just as easily be served with couscous, rice or anything else. It’s lovely to eat warm or room temperature which makes it the perfect meal to take to work for lunch, a picnic or even to whip up for a summer BBQ!

It does require a decent amount of marinating time – the longer you marinade the chicken, the juicier and tastier it will be! I marinated mine for about 6 hours.

For the chicken: 2 tbsp Harissa Paste (I used Watrose Cooks’ Ingredients Ruby Rose Harrisa which has a sweet and smokey taste to it), 2 garlic cloves crushed, juice of 1 lemon, 350g chicken mini fillets (or chicken breasts cut into long strips) and a good lug of olive oil.

For the yogurt sauce: approx. 100g of plain natural yogurt, 1/4 cucumber – peeled and cut into matchsticks, a sprinkling of sea salt, a pinch of cumin powder and some fresh coriander – finely sliced.

1. Add the chicken strips, Harrissa paste, garlic cloves, lemon juice and olive oil to a bowl and stir well to make sure the chicken is covered. Cover the bowl with cling film and let marinade in the fridge for 5-6 hours (or longer if you can).
2. Once you are ready to cook, place a pan over a medium/high heat and add the chicken strips (3 or 4 at a time – depending on the size of the pan). Don’t overcrowd the pan or the chicken won’t cook evenly.
3. Cook the chicken strips for 5 minutes or so on each side until charred and remove from the pan. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl add the yogurt, cucumber, coriander, cumin and salt and give it a good stir to incorporate.
5. Arrange a salad in a bowl – seasonal greens and cherry tomatoes (or whatever you like) and lightly dress with a little olive oil and some lemon, salt and pepper. Add the cooked chicken strips to the top and serve with a dollop of cooling yogurt sauce!