Za'atar Chicken with Chickpeas
This quick and delicious recipe for Middle-Eastern spiced za'atar chicken breasts is absolutely packed with flavor! Serve it family-style on a platter with chickpeas, pearl couscous and a creamy lemon tahini sauce.
Ingredients
Tahini Sauce:
- 1 garlic clove grated or put through a garlic press
- ½ cup (10 g) Italian parsley leaves finely chopped
- ½ cup (120 g) tahini paste
- ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup (60 ml) cold water plus additional as needed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Za'atar Chicken
- Grated zest from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup (5 g) chopped Italian parsley plus a handful of leaves
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) za'atar seasoning
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped or pressed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ pounds thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2 or 3 chicken small breasts
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ cups pearl couscous
- 1 14-ounce (400 g) can chickpeas, drained
Instructions
Za'atar Chicken
- Mix the lemon zest and juice, olive oil, parsley, za'atar, garlic and salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken breasts and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate 15-30 minutes or cover and refrigerate up to one day ahead.
- Cook the couscous in boiling, salted water according to package directions. Drain and toss with the chickpeas in a bowl.
- Preheat a broiler to high, with an oven rack arranged closest to the heat source. Put the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Broil the chicken 5-6 minutes per side, until the meat turns golden brown feels firm to the touch. Let it rest about 10 minutes, then slice into ½-inch thick pieces
To serve
- Spread some of the tahini sauce over the bottom of a large serving platter. Spoon the couscous mixture over the sauce. Arrange the sliced chicken on top and sprinkle with the remaining parsley leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature, with additional sauce on the side.
Tahini Sauce
- Pulse all the ingredients in a small food processor or whisk in a bowl until smooth. Add more water if necessary to achieve a loose mayonnaise-like consistency. Taste and season with more salt to taste. The sauce keeps in the refrigerator up to 3 days ahead.
Video
Notes
- Look for "thin-sliced" chicken breasts at your grocery store, or slice a boneless breast in half horizontally.
- Marinate the raw chicken up to 24 hours before cooking.
- Cooked za'atar chicken can be refrigerated 3 days.
- The tahini sauce will keep about a week. Before serving, whisk in some cold water if it has thickened.
Nutrition
Calories: 720kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 50gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 1385mgPotassium: 974mgFiber: 5gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1058IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 106mgIron: 5mg