I think za’atar is my favorite spice blend. It’s so aromatic, flavorful, tart, earthy, herby, etc. It just goes so well with bread, potatoes, meat, everything. I posted a za’atar potato recipe recently, and I have been addicted to it. I decided that I need to use my za’atar on something else, or else I would finish a sack of potatoes every week.
I had this recipe on my mind for a while. I pulled my favorite components of different Mediterranean food I had from different restaurants and put it together. For example, one restaurant I love in LA seasons their rice and makes it with chicken broth (from what I can taste). It was so new to me to use rice as a canvas to integrate more flavor. I’ve only made rice with water growing up in a Korean household. I started doing that too, making rice with broth and whatever other vegetables or flavors that go with what I am serving it with.
I’ve also only seen za’atar chicken in one restaurant I went to in DC. The flavor was there, but it was pretty dry because they used chicken breast. So to summarize, I’ve been thinking of ways to upgrade what I’ve tasted in different places and created this za’atar chicken and rice recipe. It is one of the most easy and solid recipes I’ve made – it is so friggen good and it’s hard to make it wrong. And it’s perfect for meal prep! Try and see for yourself (:
- Rice Ingredients:
- 2 cups rice (I used half white and half mixed grains)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- Chicken Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound boneless chicken thighs
- 3 Tablespoons za’atar seasoning
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- Salad Ingredients:
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1 small cucumber, diced
- juice of half a lemon
- salt and pepper
- Recipe:
- wash the rice until the water runs clear
- add the chicken broth, onion, garlic, and turmeric and cook in rice cooker
- when the rice cooker is done, add a tablespoon of butter and stir it in
- while the rice is cooking, mix all the chicken ingredients together
- preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
- on the stove, heat a pan on high heat and add oil
- add the chicken thighs and brown it on each side
- move the chicken to a pan and put it in the oven for about 15 minutes – the internal temperature of the chicken should read 165 degrees F when done
- when the chicken is done, take it out and let it rest for about 5 minutes
- in a bowl, mix together all the salad ingredients
- by this time, the rice should be done – spoon out some rice onto a plate
- slice the chicken and serve on top of the rice with the tomato salad
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