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Harissa Chicken Salad with Olives and Mint
Harissa, a North African condiment, is a paste made of red peppers, garlic and spices. It’s the flavor backbone of this chicken salad, plus cumin and cinnamon, and lemon zest and juice. Harissa usually is sold in jars or tubes; spiciness varies from brand to brand, so we call for range. Use your judgment when deciding how much to add. An average-size store-bought rotisserie chicken yields enough meat for this recipe, or use a chicken you’ve cooked yourself. We like this salad rolled up in lavash or tucked into pita, but it’s also great served on chopped romaine.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t skip the step of blooming the spices and harissa. Briefly heating them in oil enhances flavor and aroma while also cooking off some of the rawness. The infused oil also better disperses flavor and color throughout the salad.
30 minutes
Ingredients
-
3
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
-
½
teaspoon ground cumin
Directions
-
01In an 8-inch skillet over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the cumin, cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then stir in the harissa. Cook, stirring, until the mixture begins to bubble, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in the honey and lemon zest and juice, then transfer to a large bowl.
Reviews
May 5, 2026
Really Great Recipe!
I made this for an easy weeknight dinner and everyone really liked it. I got some pita (Sara's if you live in Dallas) and also some of their pita chips to go with it. I always use that Harrissa La Flame brand because it's in a very small can and I know that it will be awhile before I use again. . . so I don't have much or any waste with that. I used about 2/3 of the can (smaller than tomato paste size can). I was initially worried that it might be too spicy, but once I got everything in it, it was fine. I did have some labneh (or some plain yogurt) I was going to use to temper it just in case it was too spicy. And in fact, I spread a little on my pita along with the chicken salad. Yum! I also cooked the almonds in a little ghee and poured all of it (ghee included) in it to moisten it some. I'll be making, again! And if I have to take a salad to something, this might be a new one I put on the list!
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