Roast Chicken with Sumac, Za’atar and Lemon

Here is that delicious chicken recipe I was talking about a few weeks ago.  It is so simple and easy to prepare, it cooks itself in the oven and is so flavoursome!  It is another recipe from the talented Yottam Ottolenghi.  I love how he uses fresh ingredients and herbs and spices to enhance the flavours of his food – as I’ve said so many times you really don’t have to suffer to eat well!!!  Try this recipe next time you are entertaining a crowd – it is delicious with the Haloumi and Grilled vegetable salad or any other salad from the shrinking hubby ….

This recipe really benefits from preparing the chicken the day before so it can marinate overnight in the fridge.  I love marinating overnight as it makes it so much easier when the time comes to prepare the food – especially when entertaining.  One less thing to worry about on the day …

(Serves 4)

You will need:

1 large organic or free range chicken cut into 4 pieces (breast and wing, leg and thigh).  You can ask your butcher to do this for you.

2 red onions thinly sliced

2 crushed garlic cloves (or 2 teaspoons of organic crushed garlic)

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra drizzling

1 1/2 teaspoons ground all spice (pimento)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon sumac

1 lemon thinly sliced

1 cup chicken stock or water (I have used both and both are equally as good)

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoon za’atar

20g unsalted organic butter (11/2 tablespoons)

1/4 cup pine nuts

4 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

How to pull it together

1.  In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the onions, garlic, olive oil, spices, lemon and stock/water, salt and pepper.  Leave in the fridge to marinate for a few hours or overnight.

2.  When ready to cook, preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius (390 degrees Fahrenheit).  Transfer the chicken and its marinade to a baking tray large enough to accommodate the chicken lying flat and spaced apart.  Chicken should be skin side up.  Sprinkle the za’atar over the chicken and onions and put the tray in the oven.  Roast for 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is coloured and just cooked through.

3.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small frying pan.  Add the pine nuts and a pinch of salt and cook over moderate heat until they turn golden.  Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the fat  (First time I made this I skipped the butter but it is soooo worthwhile – just make sure you drain on paper towel!!!).

4.  Transfer the hot chicken and onions to a serving plate and finish with the chopped parsley, pine nuts and a drizzle of olive oil.  You can sprinkle on more za’atar and sumac if you like …

Enjoy

XX

Quinoa and Chickpea Salad

If you’ve been following The Shrinking Hubby for a while now, you may have realised how much I LOVE quinoa!  This salad is absolutely delicious on its own, or as an accompaniment to fish, chicken or beef.  Try it with my delicious healthy BBQ Chook!

The first time I made it, I enjoyed the left overs with a tin of tuna for the next couple of days for lunch – it was really good.

This salad was inspired by food blogger Phoodie, but I have tweaked it a little bit to suit our own tastes.

What you need:

1 cup quinoa

zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

1 punnet grape/cherry or roma tomatoes – quartered

1 bunch parsley leaves chopped

1/2 red onion finely diced

1 cucumber diced

1 red capsicum diced

1 cup of pinenuts or slivered almonds (whichever you prefer) – toasted.  (I dry roast them in a pan until they become aromatic)

2 tins organic chickpeas rinsed well and drained

150 – 200 grams of goats cheese or feta (whichever you prefer)

Dressing

Whisk together (or shake in a jar)  juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon sumac, and olive oil (to taste)

How to pull it together:

Bring 1 cup quinoa, 2 1/2 cups water, zest and juice of 1/2 lemon to a boil and simmer (covered) for about 10-15 minutes or until cooked.  If it gets too dry you may need more water.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the onion, diced capsicum, cucumber, parsley, chickpeas and tomatoes.  Add half the toasted nuts (almonds or pinenuts) and half the cheese (crumbled).

Add the quinoa to the bowl and pour the dressing over and mix well.

Decant into your serving dish and top with remaining nuts and cheese to serve.

With Almonds!

With Pinenuts!

Such a healthy and delicious salad – enjoy!

XX

Alix