Za’atar Chicken

I recently discovered this wonderful combination of ingredients and spices that make up Za’atar. A delightful earthy smelling and light flavor of seasonings used a lot on bread, tofu, yogurt and other proteins like chicken in Eastern Europe and parts of The Middle East . This combination of spice and cuisine is gaining in popularity  in my neck of the woods for its great unique taste (and smell!) and its wonderful flavor addition.

One of the primary ingredients is called Sumac which was originally grown in the Middle East as a bush. The Sumac bush produces these deep red berries which are dried and ground into a course powder. The flavor and smell is amazing. Its almost a smokey and woodsy smell. Za’atar typically is a blend of sumac with a few other ingredients including  thyme, oregano, marjoram, sesame seeds and sometimes ground lemon. Its a slightly tart and amazingly aromatic smell and flavor.

I tried out Za’atar on the kiddos at school, (I cook at a private early education school right now) and gave a light dusting to some chicken tenders. The kiddos loved the flavor as it was more of an accent flavor. I really like trying out new flavors like this.  I have also tried Za’atar sprinkled on plain yogurt and had the children dip carrots into it. It is such a delicious new flavor for them. I bought two different flavors of Za’atar from Amazon fresh. One has lemon zest and more thyme and is more of a light greenish yellow color. The other contains more sumac and is a dark reddish light brown color.  My recipe I write for you contains lemon zest. You could certainly zest a small amount of a lemon peel if you were going to use this spice right away. However, I love the dried lemon zest as a handy addition to this Za’atar spice, but also, its very versatile to just have in your spice cabinet and keeps in a cool dry spot for quite awhile. Lemon zest adds such a brightness and mild flavor. It’s wonderful to have around. Zesting a fresh lemon is great too. I often just keep bunches of lemons around to add to water and for flavoring a variety of dishes. Later this spring,  we’ll be making our fresh lemonade and our fresh lemony fish on Fridays is a hit too so I will definitely be having more fresh lemons around for those things!

When it comes to Za’atar though, I love this spice combo on chicken (and tofu). Mix 1 Tablespoon of Za’atar to one cup of AP flour . Dredge the chicken in  the flour mixture to lightly coat, shake off excess flour and then bake in a large baking dish sprayed with cooking spray for about an hour at 400 degrees F or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.  Enjoy!

Print

Make your own Za'atar

A delicious blend of spices to create one unique blend that is great for proteins and dips! 

Servings 4 people

Chef Julie Chef Julie

Ingredients

• 2 Tblsp oregano
• 1 Tblsp thyme
• 2 Tblsp marjoram
• 1/4 cup sumac dried unique and easy to find ingredient
• 1 Tblsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tblsp lemon zest

Instructions

1. Sprinkle over chicken and bake to recipe specifications.

2. You can also sprinkle over plain yogurt or plain hummus and use as great tasting treat to dip vegetable or pita bread. 

Recipe Notes

I bought za'atar easily from Amazon. I bought two separate brands and just like the region of origination, these two are just slightly different with one having lemon zest and thyme in it. 

This recipe is my own.  Images from Pixabay.com. Please do not reproduce or use this this information without permission of Chef Julie or Emeraldmenus.com. This post does contain affiliate links which help sustain recipe testing and grocery bills.