Creamy Harissa Chicken

This is the kind of recipe you make when you’re bored of the usual rotation but don’t want to reinvent the wheel. Creamy, warming, gently spicy, and ready in about 20 minutes, this harissa chicken is exactly what weeknight cooking should be, fast, flavourful, and actually exciting to eat.

Creamy Harissa Chicken

There’s a point in the week where you don’t want anything complicated, but you also don’t want to eat the same thing you always do. That’s where recipes like this earn their keep.

Creamy harissa chicken takes familiar ingredients, chicken, onion, stock, cream cheese, and gives them a lift with one bold addition. Rose harissa. Just a couple of spoonfuls transforms the whole dish, adding warmth, depth, and a gentle heat that makes everything taste like you’ve put in far more effort than you actually have.

This is one-pan cooking that doesn’t feel lazy. It’s quick, yes, but it’s also thoughtful. Every ingredient is doing a job, and nothing is there just to fill space.

Why harissa works so well in creamy sauces

Harissa is one of those ingredients that quietly does a lot of work.

It brings heat, but not in a sharp or aggressive way. Rose harissa, in particular, has warmth, sweetness, and aromatics that play beautifully with dairy. When you stir it through cream cheese or cream, it softens and spreads out, flavouring the entire sauce instead of sitting on top.

That’s what makes this dish so approachable. Even people who say they “don’t like spicy food” usually love it, because the heat is rounded, not spiky. It warms rather than burns.

Combined with chicken stock and cream cheese, harissa gives you a sauce that’s rich, savoury, and gently exotic without feeling unfamiliar.

Speed without sacrificing texture

This recipe comes together quickly, but the order matters.

The chicken is coated lightly in seasoned flour before it ever hits the pan. That gives you colour, protects the meat, and helps thicken the sauce later on. Cooking it first and setting it aside means it stays juicy and doesn’t overcook while the rest of the dish comes together.

The onion and broccoli go in next, softening and picking up all the flavour left behind in the pan. Broccoli works particularly well here because it holds its shape and adds freshness, cutting through the richness of the sauce.

Once the stock goes in, everything loosens up, and when the cream cheese and harissa are stirred through at the end, the sauce pulls together quickly into something thick, glossy, and properly comforting.

Why cream cheese is such a smart choice here

Cream cheese doesn’t always get the respect it deserves in savoury cooking.

Here, it acts as both the creamy element and the thickener. It melts into the stock easily, giving you a smooth sauce without the risk of splitting. It also has a slight tang that works perfectly with the harissa, keeping the dish from feeling flat or overly rich.

Compared to double cream, it makes the dish feel lighter while still delivering that creamy texture people are craving.

It’s a practical ingredient that earns its place.

Broccoli isn’t just filler

It might seem like a simple addition, but broccoli is doing important work here.

It adds texture, colour, and freshness. It also soaks up the sauce beautifully, meaning you get flavour in every bite, not just on the chicken. Cooking it directly in the sauce rather than separately keeps everything cohesive and saves time.

This is one of those dishes where the vegetable feels like part of the meal, not an afterthought.

A proper one-pan weeknight winner

Aside from cooking the rice, everything happens in one pan. That’s not just about washing up, it’s about flavour.

Each step builds on the last. Nothing gets drained or discarded. All the flavour stays where it belongs, in the pan, and eventually on the plate.

That’s why this dish feels complete, even though it’s made with a relatively short ingredient list.

How this fits into real life cooking

This is the sort of recipe you keep in your back pocket.

You can cook it when you’re tired. You can scale it up easily. You can tweak the heat by adding more or less harissa. You can swap the broccoli for another quick-cooking veg if that’s what you’ve got.

It’s flexible, forgiving, and reliable. And those are the recipes that actually get cooked again.

The lime squeeze at the end matters

That optional squeeze of lime might seem small, but it makes a real difference.

Creamy dishes love acid. A little lime juice right at the end lifts everything, brightens the sauce, and balances the richness. You don’t need much, just enough to wake the whole dish up.

It’s the kind of finishing touch that makes people ask what you did differently.

Ingredients

50 g plain flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic granules
2 chicken breasts
1 tbsp cooking oil
10 g butter
1 onion, diced
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
250 ml chicken stock
100 g cream cheese
2 tbsp rose harissa paste
1 lime, halved (optional)

How to make Creamy Harissa Chicken

1. Season the flour with the paprika, garlic granules, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well.

2. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and coat them evenly in the seasoned flour.

3. Heat the cooking oil and butter in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the chicken and cook until golden brown all over.

4. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

5. Add the diced onion and broccoli to the same pan and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion softens and the broccoli starts to tenderise.

6. Pour in the chicken stock, return the chicken to the pan, and simmer for a few minutes until the broccoli is tender and the chicken is cooked through.

7. Stir through the cream cheese and rose harissa paste until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Season to taste.

8. Serve with basmati rice and finish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice if using.

What to serve it with

Basmati rice is the obvious choice and works perfectly here. You could also serve it with flatbreads, couscous, or even spoon it over roasted potatoes. A simple salad on the side adds freshness if you want balance.

FAQs

Is this very spicy?
No. Rose harissa is warming rather than hot. Add more if you like heat.

Can I use chicken thighs instead of breast?
Yes. Boneless thighs work very well and stay extra juicy.

Can I make this dairy-free?
You can use a dairy-free cream cheese alternative, though the flavour will change slightly.

Can I swap the broccoli?
Yes. Green beans, spinach, or courgette all work well.

Does it reheat well?
Yes. Reheat gently on the hob with a splash of water or stock.

This is exactly the kind of recipe that keeps weeknight cooking interesting. Fast, comforting, and full of flavour, without demanding too much of your time or attention. Once you’ve cooked it, it’s very hard not to add it to your regular rotation.