Honey Harissa Rooster Bowls Recipe (Cava Copycat)

Healthy Lunch Recipes


This home made CAVA bowl options tender hen marinated in a scrumptious honey harissa sauce and tossed with Mediterranean-style toppings. It’s all positioned over a mattress of basmati rice and lettuce, drizzled with a scorching harissa French dressing, and served with a heat pita.

Do you like rice bowls? Attempt copycat Sweetgreen harvest bowls, floor turkey teriyaki rice bowls, or honey garlic salmon rice bowls subsequent.

cava inspired honey harissa chicken bowl on a countertop with a side of pita bread

Discover ways to make CAVA’s widespread honey harissa hen recipe proper at residence. Plus, get concepts for recipe variations and suggestions for meal prepping forward of time. 

Do you want making home made variations of scrumptious recipes out of your favourite eating places? Subsequent time, attempt our Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl copycat recipe or grilled burger bowl with a Smash Burger-inspired particular sauce.

Why You’ll Love This CAVA Honey Harissa Rooster Recipe

As handy as it’s to seize dinner to-go, making your personal copycat CAVA bowls is straightforward, enjoyable, and extra inexpensive. Right here’s why you’ll love this recipe:

  • Fast weeknight dinner: This recipe is as straightforward to wash up as it’s to prep and put collectively. For those who’re in search of a fast weeknight meal the entire household will take pleasure in or one thing straightforward to prep and save for lunches all week, look no additional.
  • Greatest taste: The candy drizzle of honey balances the warmth of the harissa paste. It’s not usually you get candy, spicy, and savory multi functional! Tons of daring flavors throughout.
  • Versatility: If there’s an ingredient you don’t have readily available, there’s a substitution for it! From the rice base to the meat, the veggies, and the home made French dressing, each component of this dish is customizable. You might make this dish as soon as every week and at all times discover a technique to change it up!
  • Hearty meal: Except for the protein-packed hen that can maintain you lots glad, this recipe has wholesome fat and is loaded with veggies. It’s a whole meal in a bowl!
harissa vinaigrette on top of chicken, avocado, pickled onion, feta, and hummus

Elements You Want

Listed below are the easy components for this CAVA honey harissa hen recipe. Most are pantry staples and straightforward (and inexpensive) to search out in grocery shops. Soar all the way down to the recipe card for precise measurements and diet data.

Honey Harissa Rooster Marinade

  • Boneless skinless hen thighs: The darkish meat is further juicy.
  • Further virgin olive oil: Substitute with avocado oil.
  • Harissa paste: That is the star of the present. Nevertheless, it’s fairly spicy, so begin with much less and add extra as wanted. 
  • Honey: The sweetness of honey helps to mellow out the spicy paste. Maple syrup is an effective substitute.
  • Lemon juice: Provides a citrus taste.
  • Kosher salt and black pepper: For seasoning.

Sizzling Harissa French dressing

  • Further virgin olive oil: Substitute with avocado oil as an alternative.
  • Harissa paste: Modify to desired warmth stage.
  • Lemon juice: So as to add zest.
  • Onion powder: For taste.
  • Garlic cloves: For those who don’t have recent garlic, substitute with 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
  • Kosher salt: Kosher salt is finest for cooking.

Bowl and Toppings

  • Basmati rice: Cook dinner rice in accordance with the package deal directions.
  • Combined salad greens: Kale, spinach, or leaf lettuce like arugula.
  • Olive oil: Simply substitute with avocado oil.
  • Avocado: Provides a creamy texture.
  • Pickled crimson onions: Get these storebought or comply with our Mexican pickled onion recipe to make your personal at residence as an alternative.
  • Crumbled feta: See recipe notes for the best way to make loopy feta.
  • Marinated cucumbers and tomatoes: Discover this within the deli part of your native grocery retailer, however to make it at residence, see recipe notes.
  • Hummus: Add to style.
  • Pita Chips, pita bread, or naan: For serving.

Professional Tip: There are a variety of toppings and choices for these bowls. We extremely suggest utilizing all of them, if attainable. If we had to decide on three toppings they’d be pickled onion, feta (ideally loopy feta), and avocado.


Make CAVA Honey Harissa Rooster

The total printable recipe is under, however let’s stroll by the steps with some photographs and a video so you might have a transparent thought of what to anticipate. This CAVA harissa honey hen recipe is very easy and these step-by-step directions will be sure it seems each time.

Marinate hen. Toss the hen in a medium bowl or a big plastic bag with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, Harissa, honey, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cowl and marinate within the fridge for at the very least half-hour or so long as in a single day.

two images showing chicken in a freezer bag with harrissa, honey, and salt, and then it mixed and marinated for a few hours

Prep the toppings. While you’re able to make the bowls, cook dinner the rice and prep your entire desired toppings. Toss and coat your greens with a small drizzle of olive oil. 

pickled red onions in a dish

Cook dinner the hen. Drizzle 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a big skillet over medium-high warmth. As soon as it’s scorching and shimmering, place the hen thighs easy facet down and sear them till they’re deeply golden-brown, 5-6 minutes with out transferring. After that, flip and cook dinner for an additional 4-5 minutes. For the most effective outcomes, use a meat thermometer and cook dinner till the interior temperature reaches 160°F. Use a pointy knife to roughly chop the cooked hen on a slicing board.

seared and golden brown honey harissa chicken thighs on a plate

Make the French dressing. Add the French dressing components to a medium jar and whisk or shake properly. 

harissa vinaigrette in a mason jar

Make the French dressing. Add the French dressing components to a medium jar and whisk or shake properly. 

copycat cava honey harissa chicken with pickled onion, feta, avocado, and herbs

Recipe FAQs

What’s harissa?

Harissa is a spicy and flavorful chili pepper paste or sauce that’s generally utilized in North Africa and Center Japanese cuisines. It’s recognized for its sturdy, fiery style. Harissa’s most important element is chili peppers and infrequently features a mix of spices reminiscent of cumin, coriander, caraway, and paprika. It’s a flexible ingredient that can be utilized as a condiment, marinade, or taste enhancer. 

Is the harissa honey hen at CAVA spicy?

CAVA’s harissa honey hen is a mix of spicy and candy. When making your personal harissa paste marinade for this hen, you’ll be able to management the spice stage by including much less harissa or extra honey.

Is harissa hotter than sriracha?

The kind and amount of chili peppers utilized in harissa can range, nevertheless it’s sometimes fairly spicy and might vary from reasonably scorching to highly regarded, relying on the precise recipe and the chili pepper selection used. Sriracha sauce, then again, is made with crimson jalapeño peppers and sometimes has a milder warmth stage in comparison with many harissa varieties. 

honey harissa chicken on top of rice and greens and covered in harissa vinaigrette

Recipe Variations

Certainly one of our favourite methods to throw collectively dinner is in a bowl recipe! The most effective half about them is that they’re so versatile, particularly the toppings. Change up the primary components based mostly on what you might have at residence or what you’re craving. Listed below are some further toppings and ingredient variations:

  • Make a home made tzatziki sauce utilizing Greek yogurt, finely grated Persian cucumbers, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt, and recent dill. Drizzle it over the spicy hen items.
  • Substitute hen thighs with Greek hen meatballs, boneless skinless hen breasts, falafel, or tofu.
  • Change the white rice with yellow rice, brown rice, quinoa, or black lentils.
  • Prime with chickpeas, kalamata olives, lemon zest, and diced crimson peppers.

Meal Prep and Storing Suggestions

That is a straightforward dinner to meal prep forward of time. To do that, make the dressing, then marinate and cook dinner the hen forward of time. While you’re able to benefit from the dish, cook dinner the rice and put together the toppings, assembling the complete recipe. 

Retailer leftovers in hermetic containers within the fridge for as much as 4 days. Maintain the hen, rice, dressing, and toppings in separate containers.

copycat cava honey harissa chicken with avocado, hummus, feta, and pita bread

For those who make this recipe, I’d love so that you can give it a star ranking ★ under. You can too tag me on Instagram so I can see it!

Extra Bowl Recipes

For those who want a brand new thought for a rice bowl recipe that may be simply prepped and thrown collectively, we’ve got lots so that you can attempt! 

 We love this savory quinoa breakfast bowl or veggie quinoa energy bowl within the morning and this floor turkey teriyaki rice bowl went viral on social media for good motive!

Fan of seafood? Your style buds will love these Salmon rice bowls or fiesta lime shrimp bowl.

Attempt these fast and straightforward air fryer salmon bites over rice or make a easy grilled burger bowl.

Servings: 5 servings

Honey Harissa Rooster Thighs

  • Marinate the hen. Toss the hen in a medium bowl or a big plastic bag with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, Harissa, honey, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cowl and marinate within the fridge for at the very least half-hour or in a single day.

  • Prep the toppings. It is a good time to make and prep the toppings whereas the hen is marinating. Cook dinner the rice in accordance with the package deal instructions and prep your entire desired toppings. Toss your greens with a small drizzle of olive oil and toss to coat.

  • Make the French dressing. Add all the French dressing components to a medium jar and whisk to mix or shut the lid and shake properly. Switch to the fridge to relax whilst you make the hen.

  • Drizzle 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a big skillet over medium-high warmth. As soon as it’s scorching and shimmering, place the hen thighs easy facet down and sear till deeply golden-brown, 5-6 minutes with out transferring. Flip and cook dinner for an additional 4-5 minutes or till the interior temperature reaches about 160°F (165°F goal temperature whereas it rests). Switch the cooked hen to a slicing board.

  • Assemble the bowls. Add greens, rice, and desired toppings to serving bowls. Use a pointy knife to roughly chop the hen and organize them within the bowls. Drizzle with ready French dressing and serve with heat pita bread.

Observe 1. Harissa Paste. You’ll find Harissa in your native grocery retailer or buy it on Amazon.
Observe 2. Basmati Rice. Comply with the package deal instructions to make 1 cup of basmati rice to yield sufficient for 4-5 folks.
Observe 3. Loopy Feta. Mix 8 ounces feta, 1 Tbsp diced jalapeno, 2 Tablespoons crimson onion, and a couple of Tablespoons olive oil in a meals processor till easy.
Observe 4. Marinated cucumbers and tomatoes. Generally yow will discover this within the deli part of your grocery retailer with the opposite marinated olives and many others. If not, toss 1 cup of chopped tomatoes (any variety) and 1 cup of diced Persian or English cucumber with 1-2 Tablespoon olive oil and 1 Tablespoon of crimson wine vinegar. Add a pinch of dried dill, dried basil, dried thyme, and salt. Let it marinate whilst you cook dinner the hen.
Toppings: I like to recommend making/shopping for all the toppings, if attainable. Nevertheless, if I had to decide on three, I’d use the pickled onion, avocado, and feta (ideally loopy feta).
Dairy-Free: this recipe is of course dairy-free. Simply don’t add the feta or loopy feta to the highest!
Spice Degree: Harissa is fairly spicy, so begin with much less and add extra as wanted. This quantity of spice was good for me (I don’t love spicy meals), however my husband added extra. Sweetness balances out warmth, so should you discover you’ve added an excessive amount of spice to the dressing add extra honey to steadiness it out.
*Vitamin data contains hen, rice, and greens. It doesn’t embody different toppings.

Serving: 1bowl | Energy: 488kcal | Carbohydrates: 29.9g | Protein: 29.1g | Fats: 28.3g | Ldl cholesterol: 127.8mg | Sodium: 778.1mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 6.1g | Vitamin A: 116IU | Vitamin C: 14.9mg

Vitamin data is routinely calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.

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Amelia Lifestyle