Za’atar Chicken
It's hard to find a dinner that both my husband and kids will enjoy—and even harder to find one that's fast and easy. This is it! No matter how much I make of this dish, it's gone to the last bite. —Esther Erani, Brooklyn, New York
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup za'atar seasoning
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 cup pimiento-stuffed olives
- 1/2 cup dried apricots
- 1/2 cup pitted dried plums
- 1/4 cup water
- Hot cooked basmati rice, optional
Reviews
It was okay. Wasn’t crazy about the apricots, as the texture didn’t change much. The plums cooked wonderfully and were a nice texture change. Kind of bland, needs something to lick it up a notch. I won’t make again, but at least it introduced me to Za’atar seasoning!
As I assembled the recipe, the flavors were magnificent. I was disappointed the flavors were not as pungent after cooking. Since I used boneless skinless thighs (no other ones available) I cut back on the cooking time. I think perhaps pan frying this might preserve the wonderful flavors. We also added a bit more salt. Thank you for introducing me to Za’atar seasoning!
So this was a pleasant surprise, not being familiar with the Za'atar seasoning! Anyway, in spite of the fact that I normally follow a new recipe to the "T", Here was my reality in putting together this dish. 1. I used about 2.39 pounds of chicken thighs with skin and bone. Four nice big pieces. 2. I increased the amounts for the rub, not a lot but just a little, as I was looking forward to a rich taste, even though I had no idea what that taste would be!! I let it sit in the fridge for a few hours until the time came to combine everything in the slow cooker. 3. I put in a bit less of the olives, apricots and prunes. It turned out to be the right amount for the amount of chicken. The Crock Pot of course made the chicken super tender and juicy, and my hubby and I decided that it was very tasty! A different and unique type of tasty but it will be going into the "Winner" folder of my digital recipe collection. It made two meals and as usual, the leftovers were even more rich and delicious! The prunes and apricots are best for adding a touch of sweet. I found, as another reviewer discovered, that the best combo with a bite of chicken was an olive or two, and as she recommended, I added some sliced lemon on top of the chicken pieces for that extra bit of acid. Hint #2: I served this with TzaTziki sauce and found it to be a wonderful accompaniment!
I made this on the stove top and cooked it low and slow for three hours. It was delicious- definitely keeping this one in the rotation
No comment left
This dish was ok, but it was missing something. The chicken itself needed a bit of acid on it. It was fine as long as each bite had an olive, but bland if no olive was present. I may try it again with some of the olive brine mixed into the chicken seasoning, or maybe a bit of lime/lemon juice. We also thought a bit of mustard (powdered) may help. The apricots didn't really add much to the recipe, but that could have just been the store brand vs a better dried apricot. After cooking for over five hours on low, my bone-in chicken thighs were only at 120 degrees F, so I turned it up to high for the last 45 minutes.
I use Za'atar a lot. It can be bought at Meijer in the Mediterranean section and comes in a plastic bag. It's very cheap so don't spend a small fortune on it in the spice section of the grocery store.
The men in my family said they liked this and could eat it again. I must say, this is certainly not typical American fare--rather exotic, in my opinion. It's a recipe I would make once in awhile but not often. I had to make my own za'atar seasoning from a recipe off the internet. I may just purchase some pre-made Za'atar in a jar from Amazon for the next batch. It was colorful and the addition of dried fruits countered with briny olives provided good contrast with the chicken. I put our dish over cauliflower rice. I can't think of any changes I'd make to this recipe.
Delicious! Make sure to get the seasoning under the skin and let it sit covered in the fridge overnight.
No comment left