Za'atar Chicken

Abigail went to Doha, Qatar for her dad's 50th birthday. She really enjoyed the food especially  food spiced with za'atar. She brought some back and we discussed cooking with it. I had used it before and loved the flavor. I found a recipe in food & wine for Grilled Chicken with Za'atar. Here's the link http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/07/grilled-chicken-with-zaatar. I started this recipe last night while making the halibut with tomatoes. I served it with the leftover butter beans and made a salad out of them.

Chicken with Za'atar my way

1 heads of garlic, top third cut off
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 bone in chicken thighs, skin removed
1/8 cup za'atar 
juice of 1 lemon
1 small serrano chile, seeded, minced
1 teaspoons dried marjoram
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. Put garlic on a sheet of foil and in a pan. Drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon oil and wrap tightly with foil. Roast until tender and golden brown, 40 minutes. Let cool.

Place chicken in a baking dish. Sprinkle with za'atar. Squeeze roasted garlic cloves out of skins and into a small bowl; mash into a paste with the back of a fork. Add 2 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, chile, and marjoram; whisk to blend. Pour over chicken; turn to coat. Cover; marinate overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake for about 25 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook another 25 minutes until it is tender and well cooked.

Butter Bean Salad with roasted red bell peppers and red onions

3 cups cooked Italian butter beans (see 09/18/11 post)
1 small red bell pepper, roasted, seeded and chopped
1/4 medium red onion, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon cumin
1 clove garlic, peeled, crushed and peeled
1/8 teaspoon anchovy paste
splash of cousin Dan's red wine vinegar or good red wine vinegar
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Stir together 1st 3 ingredients. Combine the remainder of the ingredients and make into a paste. Toss salad with dressing. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve with chicken.

These dishes were a good combo, very enjoyable. Mike was very pleasantly surprised. Enjoy!