Best Roast Chicken With Lemon And Zaatar Recipes

OVEN-ROASTED ZA'ATAR CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Pound chicken breasts to a 1-inch thickness for even cooking. Place in a large resealable plastic bag.
• Combine 2 tablespoons za'atar seasoning, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Pour mixture over the chicken and toss to coat evenly. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.
• Place chicken breasts on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with remaining za'atar seasoning.
• Roast in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 23 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Season with salt.

ZA'ATAR CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place chicken in a bowl and coat with olive oil. Season liberally with sea salt and black pepper on all sides.
• Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs, skin-side down, to the hot skillet. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon za'atar immediately over each chicken thigh. Cook chicken, without turning, until skin is crispy and browned, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Turn chicken so skin side faces up and remove skillet from heat. Sprinkle remaining za'atar quickly and evenly over each chicken thigh. Spoon some of the rendered chicken fat from the pan over the top of the za'atar.
• Place the skillet in the preheated oven and roast until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink near the bone, about 15 minutes.

LEMON-HERB ROAST CHICKEN DINNER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Stir in potatoes, carrots and onions. Pour into baking dish.
• Rub chicken all over with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place thyme, rosemary, garlic and lemon wedges in cavity of chicken. If desired, tie legs together with 6-inch piece of cooking twine.
• Place chicken, breast side down, on top of potato and vegetable mixture. Roast 30 minutes; carefully turn chicken breast side up. Continue to roast 25 to 35 minutes longer, until legs move easily when lifted or twisted (at least 165°F in thickest part of thigh) and potatoes are tender.

ZA'ATAR ROASTED CHICKEN BREAST RECIPE

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine the marinade ingredients.
• Place the chicken in a deep pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover with the marinade, making sure to work some of the marinade underneath the skin (this is important for flavor). Cover and place the chicken in the fridge for four hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Transfer the chicken and marinade to a baking dish or a cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with a little more sumac and paprika. Now, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the za'atar, and take another tablespoon to work underneath the skin of chicken breasts. (You should have 1 tablespoon of za'atar left for later use).
• Place the chicken in the heated oven and roast for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes (once the chicken's internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, it is ready).
• Sprinkle with a little more sumac and the remaining za'atar. Garnish with the toasted nuts and fresh parsley. Enjoy!

CHICKEN ROASTED OVER LEMONS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Add coriander, cumin, or paprika to the salt, if desired. Pat chicken dry and season the cavity and skin with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt each. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a rack. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Sprinkle the cavity with 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Then pierce whole lemon all over with a fork; put it inside the cavity with 6 thyme sprigs. Rub butter evenly over the skin, season with another 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and tie the legs firmly with twine. On a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment, overlap lemon and onion slices to create a base slightly larger than the chicken. Set the bird on top of this "rack," which will collect the chicken fat as it drips. Strip the leaves from remaining 3 thyme sprigs and scatter them over the chicken. Let the bird stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, which will help it cook evenly.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Roast the chicken 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees, rotate the sheet, and continue cooking until a thermometer registers 160 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes. (For the most accurate reading, insert it in two places: the thickest part of the breast, then the thigh, near but not touching the bone.) Let the chicken stand 10 minutes (the temperature will rise to 165 degrees) -- this allows the juices to redistribute, creating tender meat. Serve, with the roasted lemon and onion slices.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH LEMON, ZA'ATAR, AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Several hours or the night before cooking the chicken, remove giblets from the chicken and pat the skin dry. Cut the lemon in half, and place half inside the cavity. Slice the other half crosswise as thinly as you can into four slices and insert the slices under the skin, one under each breast half and one under the fattest part of each thigh. Rub the salt and za'atar into the skin, then truss the chicken and refrigerate it for several hours or overnight.
• Remove the chicken from the fridge to bring it up to room temperature before roasting. Preheat the oven to 475°F.
• Place an elevated roasting rack in a roasting pan. Toss the quartered potatoes with a small amount of olive oil and salt (maybe even a little more za'atar) and place them in the bottom of the roasting pan, arranging them around the rack. Place the chicken on the rack, breast-side-up. If you do not have an appropriate rack, improvise with wadded up aluminum foil, or place the chicken right on the potatoes.
• Roast the chicken for 30 minutes - the skin will turn golden and may start to blister. Remove from the oven and flip the chicken onto its breast. Turn the potatoes, put the pan back into the oven and roast for 15 minutes more, then remove the pan from the oven, turn the potatoes again if needed, and turn the chicken onto its back for 5-10 more minutes to crisp the skin. Carefully tilt the chicken so that the juices that have accumulated into the cavity run out into the pan - the chicken is done when the juice runs clear and has no trace of red.
• Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.