166. Mediterranean inspired za'atar chicken - Bonus recipes: Shirazi salad and turmeric rice

You have to try this chicken recipe! The post appears to be long winded but, I promise it is a very simple recipe, I just went into extra detail. I like details, the more the better so, you will have to bear with my long winded explanations.

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This is another example of a recipe that I hadn’t intended to post. I am in the practice of photographing my process (even if there is no intention to post what I am making). This recipe is another example how that practice has come in handy. I was intending to post an exotic, and succulent meatball recipe, that post will have to wait for another day.

If you have been following along the ‘Just really good recipes’ journey, you have likely noticed that the food I share is heavily influenced by Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean spicing. This recipe is another. What I love about spicing from those regions is that the actual ingredients are the stars, not the spices and condiments. The spices are carefully chosen to be the supporting cast, they make the stars look, and in the case of food, taste even better.

If it were summer, I would have showcased this za’atar chicken recipe on skewers, and used the BBQ to grill them. As I write this recipe, there is a snowy blizzard outside, and the weather crew have promised this storm will be with us for the next couple of days. I chose to use my air-fryer, and whole thighs in lieu of skewers. My BBQ is covered in several feet of snow for at least several weeks!

Some notes on the marinade. It is simple, and easy to assemble quickly. This post uses yogurt to help ensure the chicken stays moist. If you don’t have yogurt (sometimes I just don’t bother with it) you can leave it out, and add a bit more olive oil when you mix the marinade, and chicken. The nice thing about using thighs is that they are less likely to dry out if you slightly overcook them. The marinade was prepared in the morning, and the chicken marinated for the day. I cooked the chicken for dinner.

In this post the garlicky yogurt with dill sauce was used. I also included a non-dairy recipe that uses tahini as the base. Both sauces are packed with flavour and zing. Either is an excellent choice and won’t disappoint. The tahini (recipe below) sauce is great on chicken, salad, fish and red meat - pretty much anything, it is that good.

The salad is a version of the iconic Persian Shirazi salad. I didn’t have a red onion so I added some extra scallion (green onion). Take your time to finely dice the ingredients. There is something extra special about this salad when everything is finely diced - try it and you won’t make it any other way! Do serve it immediately.

Breakdown of each component of this plate

Chicken marinade

8 chicken thighs (chopped if threading on skewers)

2 Tbsp yogurt

1 Tbsp za’atar

1 tsp allspice

4 garlic cloves - chopped

1 Tbsp fresh cilantro - chopped

1 Tbsp fresh parsley - chopped

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 lemon juiced

1 Tbsp olive oil

Turmeric infused rice with added allspice

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 onion diced

3 cloves garlic - minced

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 cup basmati rice

2 cups water

(ratio of rice to water is 1:2)

1 teaspoon salt

pinch red chilli flakes (optional)

Sauté the garlic, onion, salt, turmeric and allspice until softened add to 1 cup of dried (rinsed and washed) basmati rice and prepare as per package directions - Add the chilli flakes with the water. If you want to tone down the spicing for only 1 cup use 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1/4 onion and leave out the chilli - I would recommend leaving the garlic at 3 cloves as the garlic is not overwhelming!

Sauté the garlic, onions and turmeric until soft and fragrant. Add to the rinsed rice with water as per rice pkg directions and cook until done. Not shown is the 1/4 tsp allspice.

79. Mediterranean inspired Turmeric rice

Two sauce options (dairy and non-dairy)

1. Garlicky yogurt with dill sauce - Dairy -

1 cup Greek yogurt or labneh

3 mashed garlic cloves or 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp dried dill

Squeeze of lemon or lime

Salt to taste - any salt will do, I used Himalayan this time

Whisk all the ingredients together and set aside in the fridge to allow the ingredients to infuse (min. 10-15 minutes).

2. For a non-dairy sauce try this Tahini-Lemon sauce

1/4 cup tahini

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbsp cold water - more to loosen if needed

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 garlic clove mashed or grated

finely chopped mix of parsley cilantro, dill, or mint (in any combination, use what you have)

pinch sumac

Whisk all the ingredients together and set aside to infuse (min. 10-15 minutes).

The Salad

This is a riff on a Persian Shirazi salad. The smaller the dice the nicer the salad!

2 cucumbers diced

1 lemon juiced

1 Roma tomato diced

2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

1 Tbsp finely chopped mint

Extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and serve immediately.

7. Persian inspired Shirazi salad - tangy herbaceous chopped salad

Method

Order of operations:

1. Make the marinade, and set aside a minimum of 30 minutes.

2. Make a sauce - yogurt or tahini

3. Make the rice.

4. Make the salad.

The marinade: Mix the yogurt marinade in a bowl and let the chicken marinate for as long as you can up to 24 hours.

I cooked the thighs whole in an air fryer, a BBQ is ideal, or in the oven is fine. If using the oven, use a sheet pan, and set the oven at 400 F for 25 minutes or until done.

BUT:

You can also choose to use skewers! Thread the marinated chicken pieces on the skewers then BBQ, or air fry at 400 F for 15 mins flipping halfway through.

For this post I used the garlicky yogurt with dill sauce. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, and allow the ingredients to infuse in the fridge while you make the rice.

For rice, heat a pan with oil, and sauté onion until softened, add the garlic, and sauté gently for 30 seconds. Add the herbs and spices - parsley, turmeric, allspice. Do this step quickly, stir constantly so the spices don’t burn. Add the spices to the washed rice and stir to combine. Add the water, salt and chilli flakes. I like to put everything in my rice cooker, and wait until it is done. Alternatively, cook the rice as you would normally until done by letting the water come to a boil then, cover the pot, lower the heat and let the rice cook until done, about 15-20 mins.

For the salad, mix all the ingredients together and serve immediately. I added some extra mint this time!

Plate to your liking!

Serve and enjoy!