Za’atar Roasted Chicken Breast Recipe…an easy one-skillet chicken dinner that will have your taste buds going crazy (in a good way!) Za’atar is a flavor-packed spice blend of Mediterranean wild thyme and toasted sesame seed. You can find all-natural za’atar spice right here in our online store. Be sure to check out the step-by-step tutorial for this za’atar chicken!
When I posted my recipe for cilantro-lime chicken thighs (another awesome chicken dinner, by the way), a reader wrote to me about her big dilemma involving her husband eating only chicken breast. Well friend, today is your day! But another dilemma that more of us deal with is that roasted chicken breasts are tricky to cook because they often end up on the dry side.
I’ve been experimenting with cooking chicken breasts for a little while now, and I can honestly say, this is one of the best roasted chicken breast recipes you will find. This recipe, adapted from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, is a spin off a chicken dinner from my childhood. The citrus-based marinade with all sorts of Eastern Mediterranean spices is the key to this recipe’s success. It acts as a tenderizer to the chicken breasts, meanwhile, infusing them with awesome flavor.
You are probably more familiar with allspice, sumac and other spices used here. But don’t let za’atar scare you. It is an amazing Middle Eastern spice blend that has both earthy and subtle citrus undertones. It often includes spices like marjoram or thyme, oregano, and sumac. And it always includes sesame seeds, which add a nice nutty and woodsy flavor to the spice mix.
We all love a roast chicken dinner. After all, it’s quick prep and you can let the oven do the hard work! You will not regret spicing up your roasted chicken breasts this way, though. What to serve it with? Try Israeli couscous salad, or roasted Greek potatoes.
Step-by-step instructions for this Za’atar Chicken:
In a mixing bowl, combine the marinade ingredients. Place the chicken in a deep dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover with the marinade. To ensure good flavor, work some of the marinade underneath the skin of the chicken breasts. Cover and place the chicken in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Transfer the chicken breasts and the marinade to a baking dish or a cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with a little more sumac and paprika. Now sprinkle 1 tbsp of the za’atar, and take another tbsp of za’atar to work underneath the skin of chicken breasts. You should have 1 tbsp za’atar left for later.
Roast the chicken in the heated oven for 35 minutes or so. Remove from heat and allow the chicken 5 minutes to rest. The chicken is ready to serve when its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Sprinkle with a little more sumac and the remaining za’atar. Garnish with the toasted nuts and fresh parsley. Enjoy!
More chicken recipes to try:
Za’atar Roasted Chicken Breast Recipe
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: serves 4 to 6 1x
Description
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp Za’atar, divided
- 2 tbsp toasted shaved almonds
- 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
For the Marinade
- 2 lemons, juice of
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Sumac, more for later
- 1 tbsp allspice
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp paprika, more for later
- 7 large garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 1 medium red onion, sliced or roughly chopped
- 1/2 large lemon, sliced
Instructions
- 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!
Notes
- Browse our Online Shop for quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
- This recipe is adapted from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and it is a spin off a chicken dinner from my childhood.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Is the skin crispy in this recipe. I notice searing is not involved. Thanks
Hi, Delaney. No, I haven’t found it to get particularly crispy in this recipe.
Can I use boneless skinless chicken thighs. I’m thinking about making this tonight but don’t have breast.
Hi, Anya. You can definitely use chicken thighs here. You just may need to adjust the cooking time a little.
My family loved this, in spite of my forgetting to add the garlic–oops! I served it with a Zatar green salad from Trader Joe’s.
I will definitely make this again!
Thanks, Barbara!
Hi Suzy,
I made this and it was super, tasty. I think it might have been just a little dry as I used boneless, skinless chicken breast.
Anyway, I’m going to make it again and double the recipe. My question is, when I made the marinade it seemed a little thick. Is that normal?
Hi, Fernando! So glad you enjoyed it. Yes…. the marinade might be a little thick.
Great, I’m jumping into the deep end by hosting 3 other couples and I’m using the bone in skin on chicken breast just in case.
Thanks again!
Amazing roasted chicken. Some of the best I ever had.
Wow! Thank you so much!
SO good. And fairly easy, too! I made a few adjustments based on preference: I used boneless, skinless breasts (they still needed the full 40 minutes to cook as they were so large) and toasted, chopped walnuts instead of almonds/pine nuts. I also added in a can of drained & rinsed chickpeas to the baking dish and they cooked up in all the delicious chicken/lemon/spiced olive oil juices, yum. I marinated my chicken for 8 hours and it was SO moist and flavorful. It was certainly not a “basic” roasted chicken like I feel so many recipes are–this chicken was a big step above most! As a side, in addition to the chickpeas, I served it with roasted carrots and zucchini w/ more za’atar and sumac, crumbled feta, and parsley. Would make this whole meal again!!!!
Yay! Thank you for sharing, Emily!
Great idea adding the chick peas thank you.
I made this for Christmas dinner and used chicken thighs. It was delicious! I didn’t even have enough za’atar because we had used most of it but it was still so flavorful. Marinating it for awhile was a good choice! Paired it with some tzatziki and Persian saffron rice!
Yum! Thanks for sharing, Mackenzie!
OMG!!! The smell when this was roasting was HEAVEN! The taste??? What is better than HEAVEN? It is amazing!!! I tossed a few tiny baby golden potatoes in the cast iron pan when I put this in the oven (for hubby who is not Keto) and I confess I ate a piece…I cannot describe the bliss I experienced when tasting this!!! This is going on the regualr rotation!
So glad you enjoyed it, Marcelle!!
My family absolutely loved this recipe! I used a whole chicken cut up in 8 pieces. Its was very juicy, and delicious. We ate it with vermicelli rice and everyone devoured.. this recipe is a keeper, next to all my middle eastern/Palestinian recipes ❤️
Thanks Suzy ??
That sounds like a delicious dinner! Thanks, Shadia!
Made it twice so far. Second time around I added some alleppo pepper. Served with your Lebanese rice a veggie tagine. Family wants the sides for turkey day and I should make the chicken whenever they come over. Hah! Thanks for all the fabulous ideas.
HI Suzy,
As a family in the UK we love your “Weekly plan” I have been buying Za’atar for the last 10 yrs from a local efenic market, I have never questioned what was in it, I will check. How ever I buy a lot of spices/dried herbs from “Foxes Spices” in the UK, but you can’t order online, you have to phone them or email your order, again my most !!!. I can not find a word for it.” LAMPONG Indonesian Black Peppercorns” Can’t buy it in the UK, only in NY(USA) at KAUSTYAN,S,What a spice market, but again they won’t ship to the UK, buy them and try.Please ship to the UK. I have been cooking from scratch since our son was 3, he is now 19, 6ft2 and a Part time Police officer,(Free or charge)I took him to Marrakech, last summer, what a shock for him, but he embraced it, and loves there spirit.
Good food makes a son or our daughter in to some thing special, Regards Martyn. UK “Not EU”
Thanks so much for sharing! I know every area has it’s challenges as far as sourcing spices. Glad to hear what you have found over in the UK
Thank you so much for having this link on your post on Instagram! I’m so excited about making this recipe *hugs* This looks scrumptious and divine! *ambrosia*
My pleasure! I hope you enjoy it
It was a family hit! My butcher gave me skinless boneless breasts in error but I was determined to go forward. Also, I didn’t clearly read through the recipe in advance so I only marinated for 90 mins. Still juicy, amazing chicken. Will definitely make again.
So glad to hear it, Jennifer
Amazing taste and blend of spices, flavors, and memories of dinners at the mosque. Thank you for this recipe! I’m saving it to my favorites and plan to make this many times in the future!
However, it does take more than 15 minutes just to wash and chop produce for this recipe This small complaint is easily forgiven as I sink my fingers into another delicious bit of your chicken. . . . . .
Thanks, Jehan! So glad you enjoyed it. I’m a bit confused as there really is not a lot of washing and preparing produce for this recipe 🙂 But I know prep time varies from one person to another, so thank you for sharing.
Fantastic. Moist and Full of flavor. What sides do most serve?
So glad to hear it! I like Greek roasted potatoes: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/roasted-greek-potatoes/ or even these roasted veggies: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/italian-oven-roasted-vegetables/
LOVE it! And….
I’m clearing up and snacking on oh so tasty morsels of leftover bits… so good!
The meat was tender and was brilliantly infused with the lemon and herbs. This was a wonderful meal, but the amount of spice / herb, for us, as presented, was about an 11 out of 10. It hit heavily.
I will CERTAINLY make this again. But will back off just a bit on the herbs, so that I can allow my taste buds to be delighted with the marinade and spice.
So good!!
Thank you so much, Keith! This is one of my favorites, and I’m so glad to hear you liked it this much!