Chickpea-Chicken Salad With Green Harissa Dressing

In the bustling streets of Morocco, you’ll often find vendors selling tayb o’hari, a traditional Moroccan street food of warm chickpeas served in paper cones and topped with fragrant cumin, sweet paprika and chile powder. This recipe is like a salad version of the beloved dish, with pre-cooked chicken added for heartiness, fresh tomatoes and olives for crunch, and a spicy green harissa dressing for brightness. Serve either warm or at room temperature with good bread.

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 green chiles, such as jalapeño or serrano
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chile powder, such as ground cayenne (optional)
• 2 cups arugula or rocket
• 1/2 cup roughly torn fresh cilantro leaves, and more for garnish
• 2 heaping cups boneless cooked chicken (such as rotisserie, grilled or poached), roughly chopped or torn and seasoned lightly with salt
• 1/2 cup cherry-tomato halves, seasoned lightly with salt
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata or Castelvetrano olives

Directions

1. Prepare the dressing: If you have a gas range, turn burner to medium high. Use tongs to hold a green chile carefully about 1 to 2 inches over the open flame for about 60 seconds on each side until the skin is charred. Repeat the same process for each green chile. Alternatively, you can also roast the chiles in the oven under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes on each side until their skin is charred.
2. Let the chiles rest until they’re cool enough to handle, then use your hands or a butter knife to roughly remove the skins and seeds from the chiles, discard, then chop the flesh very finely with a knife.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the chopped chiles, Greek yogurt, cumin, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, honey, salt and black pepper. If the consistency of the dressing seems too thick, don’t hesitate to add a tablespoon or two of water to loosen it. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt if necessary.
4. Make the chickpeas: Heat the olive oil in a medium (10-inch) skillet over low. Add the chickpeas, cumin, paprika, salt and chile powder, if using. Cover with a lid and let cook until the chickpeas are warm and soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and keep on the side, covered, until ready to serve.
5. Assemble the salad: In a large shallow bowl, arrange the arugula and cilantro. Scatter the chicken and the chickpeas on top of the leaves. Top with the tomatoes and olives. Garnish with more cilantro. Serve with the dressing on top or on the side.