Easy and delicious! Zaatar Roast Chicken with Olives and Lemons is cooked with garlic cloves, lemons, fennel, shallots, and olives.
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As a creature of habit, there is a 98% grantee that every Friday night there will be a a roast chicken on the dinner table. And why not? It’s easy, healthy, comforting, and really delicious.
You’ll Love Zaatar Roast Chicken with Olives and Lemons
Over the years, I have created many roast chicken recipes….but Zaatar Roast Chicken with Olives and Lemons is my absolute favorite because it hits all my flavor notes. Where do I begin? The chicken is marinated with zaatar and sumac from New York Shuk (their zaatar is perfectly blended). The chicken is roasted over a bed of shallots, whole garlic cloves, fennel, olives and lemons. Before you write off the fennel, try it roasted. It loses it’s strong anise flavor and turns mellow and buttery. The olives add a lovely brininess to the sauce, countering the drizzle of honey that melts into the chicken as it roasts.
This chicken dish is not only our family go-to, but it’s devoured at dinner parties. I’m confident it will be your favorite as well. This chicken recipe is one of my best kept secrets.
My Secret To Juicy Roast Chicken:
The method of cooking Zaatar Roast Chicken with Olives and Lemons is similar, if not the same method used for Roasted Balsamic Chicken Thighs with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes. Searing off the chicken first allows you to lock in the flavor and juices, rendering off the excessive fat you don’t want in your gravy, and lessens the overall oven cook time. It only takes an extra five minutes and well worth it! I really, strongly suggest you follow this method.
Optional and Delicious!
In this recipe, I have included fresh zaatar, also known as Syrian oregano or organic sweet marjoram seed. But do not confuse Syrian oregano with regular fresh oregano. Like any herb, Zaatar is easy to grow (and grows quickly) It’s delicious when used fresh and easy to dry and store in jars. We get our seeds from Johnny’s Seeds. Here is the direct link for this incredible herb. Try growing some and use it to add delicious flavor to your dishes! If you do not have fresh zaatar that is completely fine! It’s just an embellishment, not a necessity.
Crash Cooking Course:
Choosing the correct roasting pan: You want your chicken and accoutrements to be nestled, not crowded, in the roasting dish. Crowding will steam everything instead of giving that lovely color. The two roasting pan I use for roasting chicken and meat are this one by All-Clad and this 14.50 inch one by Staub .
What else can I toss in? Add to the pan mini yellow potatoes! So delicious.
What if I don’t have fresh Zaatar sprigs? That’s fine, you can simply omit the springs all together. It will be fantastic either way.
Want an alternative spice? Replacing the zaatar seasoning with shwarma seasoning is a super delicious alternative.
Ew….Don’t think I fancy fennel: You actually do. You just don’t know if yet. Fennel looses it’s anise flavor when roasted.
Zaatar Roast Chicken with Olives and Lemons
Ingredients
For The Pan:
- 1 large head of garlic cloves separated, skins removed
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup green pitted olives rinsed and drained
- ½ large lemon sliced
- 5 oz shallots skins removed, sliced
- 1 medium fennel bulb outer layer removed, ¼ inch slices
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
For The Chicken:
- 1½ tablespoon zaatar spice blend or shwarma seasoning
- 1½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground sumac plus extra for topping
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey plus extra for topping
- ½ large lemon zest roughly 1 heaping teaspoon
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 2½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4-5 stems fresh zaatar leaves optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 420 °F, (convection roast if you have it).
- In a 14-15 inch metal or cast iron roasting pan, toss together the garlic cloves, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, green pitted olives, lemon slices, shallots, fennel and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil until evenly coated. Spread it all out in an even layer in the roasting dish and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine zaatar, ground cumin, garlic powder, ground sumac, ⅛ kosher salt, fresh lemon juice, honey lemon zest, and 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Mix well until combined.
- Trim chicken of excess fat. Using chicken sheers or a very sharp knife, cut a 1½-1¾ inch long slit through the skin on top of each chicken thigh (this is actually really important).
- Rub the marinade under the skin and all over each chicken thigh. Allow the chicken to marinade for 30 minutes or up to overnight in the fridge.
- Preheat a large skillet with 2½ tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on medium high. Carefully place each chicken thigh, skin side down into the skillet and sear for 1-2 minutes, until the skin is medium golden brown (You will need to work in batches, do not overcrowd the pan). Turn the chicken over and let it cook for about 20-30 seconds. Remove chicken from the pan and nestle on top of vegetables in the roasting dish.
- Lightly drizzle honey over the chickens and sprinkle a little extra dusting of zaatar and ground sumac. If you have fresh zaatar sprigs, stick them under the chicken skins and on top of the chicken.
- Put the roasting dish in the oven and cook for 50 minutes-1 hour until the chicken thighs read on a 190 °F thermometer. . Be sure occasionally baste the chicken. If the roasting pan runs a bit dry, you can add 1/4 cup warm water to the pan or a dry white wine.
- Remover the chicken from the roasting dish onto a platter and cover well with foil to let it rest.
- Preheat the broiler on medium. Put the roasting dish under the broiler (with everything but the chicken) for 1 minute or a touch more, until the fennel gets color and a bit of a sear.
- Remove the roasting dish from the broiler, remove the foil from the chicken and spoon the contents of the roasting dish over the chicken.
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