Yogurt Marinated Za’atar Chicken

Name: Yogurt Marinated Za’atar Chicken
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Lebanese,Signature Cuisine
Ingredients: Whole chicken: 1.5 kg o; Coconut yogurt: 150 ml of; Salt: 3 tsp. of; Extra Virgin olive oil: 4 tbsp. of; Zaatar: 1 tbsp. of

Features:

Cuisine:

Serves 4
Medium

Ingredients

1.5 kg o Whole chicken
150 ml of Coconut yogurt
Or almond, soy yogurt
3 tsp. of Salt
4 tbsp. of Extra Virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. of Zaatar

Directions

Another important technique for cooking a whole chicken in the oven is pre-marinating. The marinade can be different, for example, Caribbean Jerk Chicken is also prepared according to this principle. The marinade includes acid and salt that makes the meat softer and juicier.

This recipe uses, at first glance, a very strong marinade of yogurt and salt. The yogurt or buttermilk in the classic recipe is dairy, but the one I use is coconut dairy free, homemade. There is a video on Instagram of how to make it.

The salt and acidity of the yogurt will make the meat soft overnight and it won’t lose its juiciness when baked. Use this technique, it’s very cool!

At the end of baking, brush the chicken with a mixture of Za’atar spices and olive oil and you will have a perfect oriental chicken. It’s a recipe from Lebanese cuisine.

Za’atar spice blend can be purchased ready-made, or you can make your own, the recipe is here.

If you don’t have Za’atar spice blend on hand but want this kind of chicken, mix oregano, marjoram, salt and sesame for the za’atar recipe and add lemon juice (substitute sumac) with the sauce before coating.

Bon Appétit!

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Steps

1 Done	Mix salt, yogurt and 2 tbsp. of olive oil and coat the chicken inside and out with this sauce. Then place it in the fridge overnight.
2 Done	Take the chicken out of the fridge one hour before cooking and let it sit at room temperature.
3 Done	Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
4 Done	Wipe the chicken with a paper towel to remove any excess yogurt from it. Then, place the chicken in the oven to bake. You can put a pan of root vegetables below the chicken.
5 Done	Place the chicken in the oven with the legs towards the far corner and the breast towards the oven door. Bake the chicken until it's cooked through. It will have a crispy crust and at least 74 degrees Celsius meat inside. For a 1.5 kg chicken, baking takes about 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 minutes and more for a larger chicken.
6 Done	About 15 minutes before the chicken is done, mix 1 tbsp of Za'atar spices and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Take the chicken out, coat it and put it back in the oven. Then increase the temperature to 180 degrees and bake the chicken for another 10 to 15 minutes. Take it out, let it stand for 5 minutes and serve it hot.