Having only been married for seven weeks, my husband and I are still enjoying the dizzy heights of the honeymoon phase. I’m like an excited puppy when I hear the jingle of his keys in the front door and can’t wait for us to sit down together to eat my thoughtfully prepared dinner, whilst sharing our stories of the day. However, don’t be fooled. Life is not all fairy dust and magical unicorns and I certainly don’t spend hours in the kitchen kneading pastry dough and lavishly perfecting the icing on my cakes ready for hubby’s return. Let’s face it, in today’s world there are far more pressing (and fun) things to do than to spend all day in the kitchen and some days you just don’t feel like cooking at all. So here is today’s conundrum… how to create a delicious evening meal that looks and tastes like it’s taken the best part of the day to prepare, when I’ve actually spent most of my day in the gym, having coffee, and shopping at Nordstrom.

In a hurry Harissa Chicken, that’s how!

Harissa is basically the “go-to” seasoning of North Africa and the Middle East, just as Sriracha is to America and Ketchup is to the UK. It’s a spicy blend comprised of chilli, garlic, cumin, coriander and other flavours, such as rose or mint. The result is an exotically fragrant, spicy, red seasoning that is simply divine.

This Harissa Chicken recipe is not only flavoursome, but extremely easy to prepare – you’ll need just three ingredients! Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Then, in a bowl mix together the Harissa powder, water and avocado oil – I love avocado oil, but if you don’t have any olive oil will work just as well.

Coat the chicken in the Harissa and leave to marinate, if you have time – for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Place the chicken on a non-stick mat or baking tray and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Panic over and exotic Harissa Chicken, done!

Serve with cous-cous, or with roasted sweet potato and red onion (roast them in a plain yoghurt and Harissa sauce – yum!). I served mine with a salad, warm pittas and home-made baba ghanoush.

If you’re enjoying a sun-filled summer this year, as we are here in Seattle, Harissa Chicken also makes a rather tasty and different dish for the barbecue.