Grilled Chicken Za’atar

Grilled Chicken Za’atar is a flavorful Middle Eastern-inspired dish featuring tender chicken thighs marinated in a blend of za’atar spices, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. After grilling, the chicken is served atop a creamy dill yogurt sauce, offering a harmonious balance of smoky, tangy, and herbaceous flavors. This dish pairs well with a fresh green salad or warm pita bread.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano or 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh oregano
  
• Half teaspoon of thyme
  
• Half tablespoon of sumac
  
• 2 teaspoons of sesame seeds
  
• Salt to taste
  
• Pepper to taste
  
• 8 boneless (skinless chicken thighs)
  
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
  
• Juice of 1 lemon
  
• 1 cup natural Greek yogurt
  
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• Juice of 1 lemon
  
• Half teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
  
• Salt to taste
  
• 1 cup chopped fresh dill (I have fennel grown so I use fennel leaves instead)
  

Steps

1. Toast sesame seeds in dry frying pan over low heat until golden. Let them cool
   
2. For Za’atar, mix thyme, oregano, sumac, toasted sesame seeds and salt in a small jar.
   
3. For the chicken marinade, combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and 1 and half tablespoons prepared za’atar in a mixing bowl and mix well.
   
4. For the marination, cut the chicken thighs in half, season with salt on both sides add them to the marinade
   
5. Toss to coat well
   
6. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight (up to 24 hours) for deeper flavour
   
7. For dill yogurt sauce, whisk together Greek yogurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, salt and fresh dill. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve
   
8. Take the chicken from the fridge until comes to room temperature. To grill the chicken, preheat griddle pan or BBQ over medium high heat.
   
9. Grill the chicken in batches until nicely charred and caramelised to reach internal temperature of 72 degrees Celsius
   
10. Rest the chicken on a warmed plate for 10 minutes before serving
    
11. To serve, spread the dill yogurt sauce on a plate
    
12. Place the grilled chicken on top of the yogurt sauce and serve with a green salad
    
13. Enjoy
    
14. It can also be pan fried until golden brown
    
15. Serve and enjoy
    

Languages

Gegrilltes Hähnchen mit Za’atar - Deutsch (German) version
Pollo a la parrilla con za’atar - Española (Spanish) version
Poulet grillé au zaatar - Français (French) version
Ayam panggang Za’atar - Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian) version
Pollo alla griglia con za’atar - Italiana (Italian) version
ザアタールグリルチキン - 日本語 (Japanese) version
자아타르 그릴 치킨 - 한국인 (Korean) version
ไก่ย่างซาอาทาร์ - แบบไทย (Thai) version
烤香料鸡（Za’atar） - 简体中文 (Simplified Chinese) version
烤香料雞（Za’atar） - 香港繁體中文 (Traditional Chinese - Hong Kong) version