Lebanese chicken is easy to prepare with just a few ingredients, but can also include the unique spice blend known as zatar. Zatar is a personal recipe that varies from cook to cook. Other variations include a marinade with cumin, paprika, and cayenne. Lebanese chicken is a delicious and simple dish.
Cooks are usually happy when chicken is on the menu. The fabulous flavor of Lebanese chicken suggests that the preparation may be much more complex than it really is. There are several ways to prepare Lebanese Chicken, but even recipes that involve a couple of extra steps are a breeze. Finely and aromatically spiced, the incredible aromas falling from the kitchen will beckon diners to the table before the cook has a chance to finish the dish.
The simplest Lebanese chicken requires only a handful of ingredients. Pieces of chicken such as thighs, thighs or breasts, some peeled potatoes and some good quality olive oil mix it with garlic and lemon juice. Purists may protest that chicken made without the unique spice known as zatar is really just, well, chicken, but many Lebanese cooks insist that zatar is optional.
In general, zatar marries a combination of dried thyme, oregano or basil with sesame seeds and a kind of vinegary liquid called sumac. Some zarari add the lesser-known herb, savory or common marjoram. Like curry, zatar offers seasonings in any combination the cook likes. Some focus on a single herbal note, while others combine two or more.
The Zatar-based Lebanese Chicken also features garlic and lemon, as the non-zatar versions do, and could add a few additional ingredients. Zatar is used as a preskillet tea towel that burns into the meat as it cooks. The plum tomatoes give the dish a rich color and flavor, and the cinnamon adds an uncanny je ne sais pas that, coupled with the chopped mint and a few drops of hot sauce, will leave the diner wondering what exactly makes up the dish.
On an interesting sidenote, cooks in Lebanon and the Arab world at large could spend a lifetime developing their own unique versions of zatar. This is not a recipe that is happily given to strangers or even friends who request it. In fact, some home cooks insist that their offspring create their own versions rather than simply passing on the one they’ve developed that is their pride.
Another version of Lebanese chicken has the meat marinated in olive oil and fresh lemon juice in which cumin, paprika and cayenne have gone for a swim rather than rubbed into zatar. Deep yellow turmeric may find its way into the marinade, and several minced garlic cloves are very likely to add their own special powers. Regardless of how it’s prepared, Lebanese chicken is a simple and delicious dish that, accompanied by a simple tomato and lettuce salad, makes for a great meal.
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