Roast Chicken with Sumac, Za’atar, and Lemon

Name: Roast Chicken with Sumac, Za'atar, and Lemon
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients: 1 large organic or free-range chicken, divided into quarters: breast and wing, leg and thighu00a0; 2 red onions, thinly slicedu00a0; 2 cloves garlic, crushedu00a0; 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzlingu00a0; 1u00bd teaspoons ground allspiceu00a0; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamonu00a0; 1 tablespoons sumac; 1 lemon, thinly slicedu00a0; scant 1 cup chicken stock or wateru00a0; 1u00bd teaspoons salt, plus extrau00a0; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepperu00a0; 2 tablespoons za'atar; 4 teaspoons unsalted butteru00a0; 6 tablespoons pine nutsu00a0; 4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

By Leslie Blythe Chicken Marinating, Roasting

April 2, 2018

I seem to be cooking my way through all my Yotam Ottolenghi cookbooks. This Roast Chicken with Sumac, Za'atar, and Lemon is so easy, done on a sheet pan in the oven. Ottolenghi uses a combination of the exotic flavors of sumac and za'atar with lemon which is inspired by a Palestinian dish called m'sakhan. Za' atar is a Middle Eastern blend of dried thyme, toasted sesame seeds, salt, and herbs.

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Yields: 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 large organic or free-range chicken, divided into quarters: breast and wing, leg and thigh

2 red onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1½ teaspoons ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoons sumac

1 lemon, thinly sliced

scant 1 cup chicken stock or water

1½ teaspoons salt, plus extra

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons za'atar

4 teaspoons unsalted butter

6 tablespoons pine nuts

4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the onions, garlic, olive oil, spices, lemon, stock, salt, and pepper. Leave in the fridge to marinate for a few hours or overnight.

2Preheat the oven to 400°F. Transfer the chicken and its marinade to a baking sheet large enough to accommodate all the chicken pieces lying flat and spaced well apart. They should be skin side up. Sprinkle the za'atar over the chicken and onions and put the pan in the oven. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is colored and just cooked through.

3Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small frying pan, add the pine nuts and a pinch of salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they turn golden. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the fat.

4Transfer the hot chicken and onions to a serving plate and finish with the chopped parsley, pine nuts, and a drizzle of olive oil. You can sprinkle on more za'atar and sumac, if you like.

Recipe adapted from the Ottolenghi cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi

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