Here's an amazing roast chicken recipe from chef Yotam Ottolenghi. Chicken thighs are spiced with za'atar and sumac, tossed with onions, lemons and garlic, and roasted. This is a great dinner party recipe because you can do all the prep ahead. The chicken is tender and juicy and the flavors are fantastically delicious!
The Perfect Dinner Party Recipe
How to make Ottolenghi's Roast Chicken
This is an overview of the recipe - for full details and directions, scroll down the the recipe card at the bottom of this post
- Slice two red onions and one lemon. Throw them into a big bowl.
- Add all the other ingredients: Chicken thighs, spices, olive oil and two crushed garlic cloves
- Toss the chicken with all the marinade ingredients. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for at least three hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200ºC. Transfer the chicken and all the marinade ingredients to a baking pan large enough to hold all the chicken pieces without overlapping.
- Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked through.
- Turn the oven up to broil/grill for the last few minutes of cooking, until the chicken skin is crisp and golden brown.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts. You can toast them up while the chicken is roasting.
- Instead of chicken quarters I used only thighs, just a personal preference.
- I omitted allspice from my recipe (Ottolenghi uses 1½ teaspoons). I tried it with and without and found the allspice too dominant. I prefer to let wonderful flavors of sumac and za'atar shine through.
- Also, I discovered that roasting the chicken in a deep roasting pan resulted in juicier chicken and more delicious gravy vs roasting it in a shallow rimmed baking sheet.
- The skin doesn't brown as much in the deeper pan but If you're set on crispy skin, simply turn on the broiler/grill for the last few minutes of cooking time until the skin is crisp and brown to your liking.
Ottolenghi has been one of my chef-heroes for years. When I lived in London, his home city, I found myself wanting to cook his beautiful Middle Eastern recipes more than ever. I brought very few cookbooks with me overseas but my entire Ottolenghi cookbook collection made the cut.
This roast chicken recipe comes from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook - his first cookbook and one of my favorites.
If you are an Ottolenghi fan, don't miss these other delicious Ottolenghi recipes on Panning The Globe:
- Coconut Curry Red Lentil Soup by Ottolenghi
- Ottolenghi's Sweet and Spicy Brussels Sprouts
- Ottolenghi's Turkey Zucchini Meatballs with Lemony Yogurt Sauce
- Ottolenghi's Turkey Corn Meatballs with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Ottolenghi's Lentil Salad with Herbs and Feta
If you try this Ottolenghi roast chicken recipe I hope you come back to leave a rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!
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PrintRecipe
Ottolenghi's Roast Chicken with Za'atar and Sumac
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-6
Description
Delicious roast chicken thighs recipe with wonderful Middle Eastern flavors. An excellent dinner party recipe that can be prepped ahead of time and is worthy of a special occasion.
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs with skin and bones, trimmed of excess fat and loose skin
- 2 red onions, thinly sliced
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
- 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons za'atar plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon sumac
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- ⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted (see directions below)
- ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix chicken, onions, lemon, garlic, 4 tablespoons olive oil, spices, broth, salt, and pepper. Marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200ºC. Transfer chicken and its marinade to a shallow baking pan large enough to hold all the chicken pieces lying flat with a little space between pieces. Chicken should be skin side up. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked through. If you want the skin more browned, turn oven up to broil/grill for the last few minutes of cooking, checking every minute or so until the skin is as crisp and brown as you like it. (Be very careful not to burn it)
- While the chicken roasts, toast the pine nuts. Line a plate with a double layer of paper towels. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring constantly, until they turn golden. Transfer to paper-towel-lined plate to absorb oil.
- To Serve, transfer chicken, onions and lemons to a serving platter. Pour pan juices over the chicken pieces. Sprinkle chicken with extra za'atar (if you like), chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts. See notes for suggested side dishes.
Notes
- What to serve with Ottolenghi's roast chicken: I recommend some kind of starch to help soak up the delicious juices - rice or potatoes, and a leafy salad with citrus vinaigrette. I love serving this chicken with these rustic mashed red-skin potatoes or this dish of roasted cauliflower and potatoes with kalamata olive vinaigrette and this Tricolore salad or this green salad.
- Nutrition Disclaimer: We do our best to provide accurate nutrition values using an online nutrition calculator however our nutrition information should only be used as an approximation.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Roast
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
This post was originally published in December of 2017. Since then I've had lots of requests for side dish suggestions, so I've updated the post and added my recommendations to the recipe card. I also reworded some of the recipe instructions to make them easier to follow. Same delicious recipe!
Andy
Just out of interest, what did you serve as sides with the chicken?
Thanks
marge
What wine would you recommend to go with this recipe? Thanks!Mar
Lisa
Hi Marge, I'm not a wine expert. I often ask the folks at my neighborhood liquor store for recommendations. But when I serve this dish at my house we often have it with a crisp dry white wine. The dish is so full of intense flavor, it calls out for something crisp and a little citrusy like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. I hope that helps. Enjoy!!
Katy
Hi
I have been making this ottolengui recipe for years in the bbq (grill). Instead of the oven we put it on the coal BBQ, blacken it and cook it and it's amazing. We have moved and no longer have outdoor space so I took your recommendation and whacked it up at the end to broil and it was as amazing! Thanks for the tip!
Jessica Famulak
Absolutely delicious, subtle beautiful flavors come through with an amazing juicy chicken, an absolute winner! Keeping this recipe for ever
Lisa
I'm so glad you enjoyed!
Rob Waters
It's so hot today that I don't want to turn on the oven but cook this on a gas barbecue instead. Any advice?
Lisa
Hi Rob, The gas grill can be used in place of your oven. Preheat it to medium or medium-high. Check the temperature gauge and play with the knobs until you get it to around 400. Then put your pot in and close the top. You should be able to follow the directions in the recipe for timing. I hope this helps. Enjoy!
Joe Alessi
Prepping this now for Sunday lunch tomorrow. I'm using a whole chicken and putting it all into a giant ziplock bag to marinate and then going to sit it onto a beercan on a foil tray and fire up the BBQ!
Lisa
Wow Joe, that sounds so festive and delicious! I hope you come back and let us know how it turns out!
Yaël
Hi!
I want to use chicken breast instead of thighs. What ratio of white chicken breast to thighs would you recommend?
Thanks so much!
Lisa
My guess is 6 breasts vs 8 thighs, but you may be able to use the same amount of breasts as thighs (8) - It depends on their size. What's important is that they fit in your roasting pan in a single layer. I hope this helps. Enjoy!
Stanley Weinberg
So juicy and a nice change from simple roast chicken.
Stanley Weinberg
Hi Lisa,
I'd like to make this recipe for tonight but before starting I just wanted to ask a question. Can I omit the Sumac and use the zaatar instead in both the marinade and topping. My zaatar has some sumac in it already. Also, I have Vidalia and white onions on hand. Should be ok is my guess. Thanks a bunch! Stan
Lisa
Hi Stanley, yes you can omit the sumac and it will still be delicious! I hope you enjoy - let me know! (I just realized I probably answered you too late. Sorry about that. I hope dinner was great!)
Stanley Weinberg
I made this yesterday sans sumac (and eating more of it now, albeit cold) and it's quite delicious. I think next time I'll either add the sumac per the recipe or increase the lemon. The zaatar by itself is a little too earthy without the citrus flavor balancing the overall taste.
Lisa
I'm so glad you enjoyed despite the lack of sumac. Maybe try squeezing some fresh lemon juice over the leftovers?
Jane
This is a wonderful recipe and it's one of the easiest things to make ever. It's been in our regular rotation for a while so I thought I'd pop by and leave a review! Thank you so much!!
Lisa
Hi Jane, I'm so glad to hear that you've been enjoying and that it's a regular at your house. Thank you so much for popping by to let me know 🙂
Ed
Found this recipe when I was looking for something special to do with chicken. It was absolutely fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing. I am adding this to the standing rotation.
Marilyn
this recipe is one of my favourites and also the family love it
have made it several times
Natalie
I'm going to make this but my partner prefers chicken breast. Would that work? Would I have to amend anything if I used chicken breast? Thank you.
WENDY WISE
If I wanted to use the allspice, how much should I use and have any of the other quantities been adjusted?
Lisa
Hi Wendy, Ottolenghi uses 1 1/2 teaspoons of allspice. No other adjustments are needed.
WENDY
Thanks Lisa, will let you know how it goes!!
Wendy
Very easy to make and delicious. I added all the allspice and made it with chicken breasts and toasted the pine nuts in dry pan, no oil needed, they contrast beautifully with the tangy sauce. I’ll definitely make it again
Carl
Local middle eastern grocery store sells five types of Za'atar.
What key herbs and spices should I look for in the ingredient list?
Really enjoying these recipes... Carl
George
Hi
Going to try recipe tonight, quick question what is chicken broth - Waitrose does a fresh chicken stock is that ok
Thanks George ????????????
Lisa
Hi George, sorry if this reply is too late. Yes, fresh chicken stock is great to use!