Meal Prep
Spicy Harissa Chicken
Spicy Harissa Chicken is what happens when bland meal prep gets absolutely put on notice - smoky harissa-marinated chicken, roasted zucchini and peppers, fluffy rice, and enough heat to make your desk salad coworkers question everything. It’s spicy, colorful, aggressively flavorful, and somehow still lands at 60.2 grams of protein for just 612 calories.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
- Prep Time
- 15 mins
- Cook Time
- 25 mins
- Marinade Time
- 30 mins
- Total Time
- 70 mins
Equipment
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Ingredients
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For the Chicken:
For the Rice:
For the Veggies:
Extra Toppings:
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken:
2 lb raw boneless skinless chicken breast, ½ cup harissa sauce, ⅜ lemons, ½ tbsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
Cook the Rice:
Rinse rice and cook according to package or rice cooker instructions. When done, season with salt and lemon zest. Set aside.
1 cup dry jasmine rice, 1 tbsp lemon zest, ¼ tsp salt
Roast the Veggies:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss diced zucchini, bell pepper, and red onion with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20- 25 minutes, flipping halfway.
1 zucchini, 1 red bell pepper, 1 red onion, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
Cook the Chicken:
Assemble Bowls:
Divide rice, roasted veggies, and sliced chicken between containers. Drizzle with extra harissa sauce if desired. Garnish with lemon wedges & feta.
4 oz Crumbled feta cheese, Extra harissa sauce, 2 lemons
Nutrition
Per servingEstimates for one serving. Changing the recipe yield scales the ingredients and keeps these per-serving amounts the same.
- Calories
- 612 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 51.6 g
- Protein
- 60.2 g
- Fat
- 16.9 g
- Saturated Fat
- 5.71 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1.81 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5.99 g
- Trans Fat
- 0.23 g
- Cholesterol
- 191 mg
- Sodium
- 1,598 mg
- Potassium
- 1,256 mg
- Fiber
- 3.9 g
- Sugar
- 6.3 g
- Added Sugar
- 0 g
- Vitamin A
- 125 mcg RAE
- Vitamin C
- 76.35 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.11 mcg
- Calcium
- 204 mg
- Iron
- 4.28 mg
Estimated ingredient cost
$4.52 per serving · $18.08 for this batch
Estimated US grocery prices for the amounts used, including purchase waste and discarded marinade. Your store, brands, and package sizes may cost differently. Buying full packages can cost more. Price sources and methodology.
Ingredient costs and assumptions
Quantities without exact weights use the nutrition library’s portion estimates. Purchase yields are estimates. Separate citrus ingredients are costed independently; reusing the same fruit for juice and zest can lower your cost. Labor, utilities, and delivery are excluded.
- raw boneless skinless chicken breast: $5.14
907.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Variable-weight pack priced per pound, raw boneless skinless breast.
Walmart: Freshness Guaranteed Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast · Price checked 2026-09-21
- harissa sauce: $3.80
120 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 15 g Chicken is transferred to a baking sheet/skillet. Leftover bowl marinade is assumed discarded; the separate extra harissa garnish remains fully counted. Count 50% of the soaking portion plus 100% of the reserved/served portion. This is an owner-authorized kitchen estimate, not a measured USDA retention factor. Sodium remains fully counted; unknown nutrients remain unknown. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Mina Harissa Mild Sauce, Homestyle Moroccan Red Pepper Harissa Paste, 10 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- lemons: $0.17
40 g purchased · Whole purchased item: 120 g each (estimated); includes shell, peel, or seeds.
Editorial medium/large edible fruit and juice-yield estimates. Juiced fruit uses 45 g each; the whole-fruit nutrition profile remains an approximate proxy. Chicken is transferred to a baking sheet/skillet. Leftover bowl marinade is assumed discarded; the separate extra harissa garnish remains fully counted. Count 50% of the soaking portion plus 100% of the reserved/served portion. This is an owner-authorized kitchen estimate, not a measured USDA retention factor. Sodium remains fully counted; unknown nutrients remain unknown. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Fresh Lemons, 2 lb Bag · Price checked 2026-09-21
- smoked paprika: $0.13
3.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 6.8 g Chicken is transferred to a baking sheet/skillet. Leftover bowl marinade is assumed discarded; the separate extra harissa garnish remains fully counted. Count 50% of the soaking portion plus 100% of the reserved/served portion. This is an owner-authorized kitchen estimate, not a measured USDA retention factor. Sodium remains fully counted; unknown nutrients remain unknown. Four 2 oz jars; full multipack weight is 8 oz.
Walmart: (4 pack) Great Value Smoked Paprika, 2 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.00
3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Chicken is transferred to a baking sheet/skillet. Leftover bowl marinade is assumed discarded; the separate extra harissa garnish remains fully counted. Count 50% of the soaking portion plus 100% of the reserved/served portion. This is an owner-authorized kitchen estimate, not a measured USDA retention factor. Sodium remains fully counted; unknown nutrients remain unknown. Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.05
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Chicken is transferred to a baking sheet/skillet. Leftover bowl marinade is assumed discarded; the separate extra harissa garnish remains fully counted. Count 50% of the soaking portion plus 100% of the reserved/served portion. This is an owner-authorized kitchen estimate, not a measured USDA retention factor. Sodium remains fully counted; unknown nutrients remain unknown. Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- dry jasmine rice: $0.59
185 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 185 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Jasmine Rice · Price checked 2026-09-21
- lemon zest: $0.52
120 g purchased · Whole lemons bought for zest; conservative full fruit cost assigned to zest. Estimated usable yield: 5% of purchased weight; per-100 g price includes the discarded portion.
1 tbsp = 6 g Whole lemons bought for zest; conservative full fruit cost assigned to zest. Estimated usable yield: 5% of purchased weight; per-100 g price includes the discarded portion.
Walmart: Fresh Lemons, 2 lb Bag · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.00
1.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- zucchini: $0.66
196 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 each = 196 g; size=medium Variable-weight produce: uses the listed price per pound, not the estimated price per piece.
Walmart: Fresh Zucchini, Each · Price checked 2026-09-21
- red bell pepper: $1.52
180 g purchased · Whole purchased item: 180 g each (estimated); includes shell, peel, or seeds.
1 pepper = 119 g; size=medium; USDA SR Legacy household weights used as an approximate physical conversion for the current ingredient profile; nutrition remains from its own mapped record. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Fresh Red Bell Pepper, Each · Price checked 2026-09-21
- red onion: $0.57
218.9 g purchased · Editorial purchase-yield estimate: 90% usable; includes discarded peel, shell, or core.
1 onion (edible) = 197 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Fresh Red Onions, 3 lb, Bag · Price checked 2026-09-21
- olive oil: $0.18
13.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 13.5 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 17 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- cumin: $0.04
2.1 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.1 g; texture=ground; Editorial ground-cumin estimate: 2.1 g/tsp. Grinding/packing varies; this is not a USDA ground-cumin portion. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Cumin, 2.5 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.01
6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.05
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Crumbled feta cheese: $3.15
113.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Athenos Crumbled Traditional Feta Cheese 6 oz, Refrigerated, Plastic Tub · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Extra harissa sauce: $0.47
15 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Editorial estimate for the entire recipe; owner approved including garnishes, not this exact weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Mina Harissa Mild Sauce, Homestyle Moroccan Red Pepper Harissa Paste, 10 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- lemons: $1.04
240 g purchased · Whole purchased item: 120 g each (estimated); includes shell, peel, or seeds.
1 lemon (medium) = 58 g; size=medium; Editorial medium/large edible fruit and juice-yield estimates. Juiced fruit uses 45 g each; the whole-fruit nutrition profile remains an approximate proxy. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Fresh Lemons, 2 lb Bag · Price checked 2026-09-21
Make it yoursRecipe notes & meal-prep tips
Macro breakdown
- Protein60.2g40%
- Carbs51.6g35%
- Fat16.9g25%
Per serving · Share of calories from macros
Calculated using 4 calories per gram of protein and carbs, and 9 for fat. Rounding and fiber can affect the listed calorie total.Triple B's Meal Prep Notes
Harissa is the main variable to check before you marinate the chicken. A mild sauce and a concentrated hot paste will not produce the same batch, so taste the clean mixture and adjust to your preference. Keep any extra sauce for serving separate from the portion that touches raw chicken. The roasted zucchini, peppers, and onion provide plenty of variety around that one main flavor.
Start the rice and vegetables while the chicken marinates in the fridge. You can use the oven method to share the roasting session or the skillet method if oven space is tight. Rest and slice the chicken before portioning, then keep the feta and lemon wedges separate if you want them as a fresh finish. This is a useful packing choice across the Mediterranean-inspired meals. Remove the seeds from the serving wedges before packing them with the meals. A fresh squeeze after reheating cuts through the harissa and makes a familiar container feel freshly finished. Pull the pepper-and-zucchini tray while the pieces still have some bite. They soften quickly and will get another round of heat at lunch, so give them their own finish time instead of automatically waiting for the chicken.
Remove any topping cups and lemon wedges before heating. For a refrigerated serving, microwave on high for 90 seconds, stir, then heat for another 45 seconds. Use that as a starting point and continue in short intervals as needed until the food reaches 165°F throughout. Stir the rice and vegetables and reposition the chicken slices at the pause. Add feta and a little fresh lemon afterward, then decide whether you want more harissa. You can explore other chicken meal preps using the same rice-and-roasted-vegetable structure, or compare different proteins in the bowl collection.
Notes from your kitchen
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From the community
★★★★★
This recipe was my first foray into the world of Harissa sauce- and my mind was blown. The hardest part is finding Harissa sauce- I had to go to my local Whole Foods for it. It was worth the struggle- there is nothing quite like this sauce. And the feta cheese on top is just icing on the cake. Let me know if Harissa was new to your vocabulary too!