Harissa-Spiced Chicken Bowls
with Cilantro & Creamy Feta Sauce
- Milk
- Wheat
We’re big fans of the ubiquitous grain bowl, but we have to admit: This one’s extra special. It’s a one-bowl feast that’s positively bursting with Middle Eastern–inspired flavors. The base is cucumber, tomato, scallions, cilantro, and feta with lemony bulgur—a hearty whole grain that’s long been a staple of both Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. Topping the bowl, there’s harissa-spiced chicken and a drizzle of creamy feta sauce. It doesn’t get much better than this!
Ingredients
1.5 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
½ cup
Feta Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
10 ounce
Chopped Chicken Breast
1 unit
Lemon
1 unit
Mini Cucumber
1 tablespoon
Harissa Powder
1 unit
Tomato
2 unit
Scallions
½ cup
Bulgur Wheat
(Contains: Wheat)
¼ ounce
Cilantro
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
3 teaspoon (tsp)
Olive Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. • Zest and quarter lemon. Trim and finely dice cucumber. Finely dice tomato. Trim and thinly slice scallions. Finely chop cilantro.
• In a small pot, combine bulgur, 1 cup water, ½ tsp harissa powder (you’ll use more later), and ½ tsp salt. (For 4 servings, use 2 cups water, 1 tsp harissa powder, and 1 tsp salt.) Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until water has absorbed and bulgur is tender, 12-15 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to use in step 5.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine sour cream, 2 TBSP feta (4 TBSP for 4 servings), and a large drizzle of olive oil. (You’ll use the remaining feta later.) Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pat chicken* dry with paper towels. Season all over with ½ tsp harissa powder (1 tsp for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. (Use more harissa powder if you like things spicy.) • Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. TIP: If chicken begins to brown too quickly, lower heat to medium.
• Meanwhile, squeeze juice from half a lemon into a large bowl. Whisk in lemon zest, 2 TBSP olive oil, and ¼ tsp salt. (For 4 servings, use juice from 1 whole lemon, 4 TBSP olive oil, and ½ tsp salt.) • If necessary, drain any excess water from cooked bulgur; stir bulgur into bowl with dressing along with cucumber, tomato, scallions, half the cilantro, and remaining feta. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Divide bulgur salad between bowls or plates. Top with chicken. Drizzle with feta sauce and sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: The harissa-spiced chicken and creamy feta sauce deliver bold, fresh flavors that many found surprisingly delicious. Some found the dish a touch salty — halving the added salt works well since feta already brings plenty.
- Ease of prep: Quick and easy to pull together; the main challenge is patting the small chopped chicken pieces dry without them sticking to the paper towel.
- Suggestions: Use the full harissa packet if you want real heat — many found the suggested amount mild. Add garlic for extra depth, and consider peeling the cucumber before mixing it in for a better texture. Don't mix the hot bulgur with the vegetables right away; add them separately so they stay crisp and fresh 🥗.
- Leftovers: This dish keeps well and tastes just as good the next day — some enjoyed it across two or three meals.
Reviews from our home cooks
Our favorite yet! We stretched this one out a week when we realized we would NOT receive our Hello Fresh Box the Christmas weekend due to weather delays. We threw out the chicken and defrosted some chicken thighs in its place and WOW was this delicious! Wonderful flavors from the Middle East! More of these dishes please!
This was awesome! Easy to make and delicious. Probably one of our favorite tasting things so far. Would totally make this again.
I made one entree with chicken strips and one with tofu cubes tossed in the Harissa spice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Also threw in some sliced carrots and roasted for 25 minutes at 450 degrees. Very good.
We really liked the bulgur in this dish and how it was mixed with the veggies.
Light but packing with flavor! Loved every bit of it.
I love trying these different kind of recipes that I normally wouldn't try. Love couscous etc, also in other recipes.
I liked everything about this meal. You've sent it before, but that's OK, it's yummy.
This recipe was decent overall. It seemed like there was not enough chicken to balance the amount of bulgur we received. The creamy feta sauce was fantastic though! Next time we'd probably dial back on the lemon.. it sort overpowered the other flavors in the bulgur mixture.
It's a great meal, yummy flavors. I think I just used too much salt with the feta already being a salty cheese.
I really enjoyed this meal, but haven't seen it as a meal option again.
