Za’atar Chicken Thighs with Olives and Prunes

Byron

Za’atar Chicken Thighs with Olives and Prunes is a delicious one-pot recipe that uses the popular Middle Eastern spice, Za’atar. We added some more flavor with some dried prunes for sweetness and some heat from the harissa paste and cayenne pepper.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 35

Course Chicken, dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle East

Servings 4 Main

Calories 294 kcal

Equipment

Large oven-safe casserole dish
Cooking tongs
Garlic press
Chef Knife
Wooden Cutting Board

Ingredients

For the chicken

17 oz. 500g boneless chicken thighs
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice from 1 small lemon
6 large garlic cloves minced
1 onion sliced fine into half rounds
1-2 tablespoons harissa paste

Spices

2-3 Tbsp of Za’atar Spice mix
Salt to taste
1 tsp Ground Cumin
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper add more if you like spicy
½ cup pitted prunes
½ cup Pitted olives black or green

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F
Add the chicken pieces and sliced onion to an oven-safe baking pan
17 oz. 500g boneless chicken thighs, 1 onion
Add the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and harissa to the dish. Sprinkle all of the spices over the chicken and toss to coat evenly.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Juice from 1 small lemon, 6 large garlic cloves, 1-2 tablespoons harissa paste, 2-3 Tbsp of Za’atar Spice mix, Salt
Add the prunes and olives to the pan.
1 tsp Ground Cumin, ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper, ½ cup pitted prunes, ½ cup Pitted olives
Bake in the center rack of the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through.
To check that the chicken is done, use a meat thermometer to ensure that the chicken's internal temperature has reached 74°C / 165°F.

Video

Notes

Cooking Tips:

Make your own harissa paste:

Harissa paste is super easy to make and comes together in around 5 minutes with just a few simple ingredients. All you need is a blender and a selection of spices and you’re good to go. Here’s our homemade harissa recipe

Spice it up:

This recipe uses a combination of cayenne pepper and harissa paste for a little heat. With around half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, this recipe isn’t too spicy, but of course, you can dial up the heat by adding more cayenne or using fresh chili.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve it with some steamed white rice, couscous, or quinoa, and add some leafy green or steamed veggies for a balanced meal.

Lemon juice and zest:

For a little extra zing and flavor, add some lemon zest and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the chicken once it comes out of the oven.

Allow your chicken to rest:

For best results, give the chicken 5 minutes to rest once it is out of the oven, it’ll continue to cook a touch more and will allow the juices and flavors to meld. Not to mention it’ll smell amazing!

Keyword 30-minute meal, baked chicken, Baked chicken thighs, boneless chicken, boneless chicken thighs, Chicken, Dinner, easy dinner, harissa, one pan, one pan chicken, one pan recipe, Spices, spicy chicken, Za'atar, za'atar chicken