Grilled Za’atar Chicken Thighs

Grilled za’atar chicken thighs are the best thing that will come off your grill this summer. Utterly moist and delicious and so easy to throw together! Chicken thighs marinate in fresh lemon juice, homemade za’atar spice, garlic and parsley for 30 minutes and then grilled to perfection. However, this recipe can also be done in your oven, I’ve included the method in the recipe instructions. Serve as is or slice and place on top of a fattoush salad. Delicious!

We have been on a huge salad kick.

Grilled chicken Caesar has been the most reoccurring salad to date, mostly because we love this dressing and shards of Parm. Who doesn’t? On other days it’s taco salad or this bacon and chicken chopped salad. However, fattoush is one of my personal favorites. It has a light flavorful dressing, torn pieces of crispy-baked pita bread, vegetables galore and features slices of this blow-your-mind grilled za’atar chicken thigh.

I’m thigh meat girl, epecially when grilled, but there’s something magical that happened once the thigh meat marinates in this za’atar marinade.

Last Thursaday was our 14th wedding anniversary. FOURTEEN YEARS! Even crazier is that early August marks 20 years of total togetherness or aka our high school anniversary. So yeah 20 years together, 14 marital years filled with laughs, tears, raising our two beautiful daughters, one blog and a cookbook (plus a lot of other great stuff 🙂 ).

Since our anniversary fell on a boring weekday this year and Pat of course worked, we made plans to go out on Friday because he’s off on Fridays. Our plans were to celebrate by trying out a recommended bbq restaurant nearby. Which means on Thursday we stayed in and I made one of my favorite dinners of all dinners. Fattoush salad piled high with slices of grilled za’atar chicken.

To Make This Grilled Za’atar Chicken Thighs You Will Need:

• homemade za’atar
• fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves of garlic
• parsley
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• extra light olive oil
• boneless skinless chicken thighs

First grab a large baking dish. Then add two cloves of garlic that has been squeezed through a garlic press or very finely minced, 3 tablespoons of za’atar, 1/4 teaspoon of both freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt, 1 heaping tablespoon of minced fresh parsley and the juice of 1 whole lemon. Lastly, add 2 tablespoons of extra light olive oil or safflower (or sunflower) oil.

Whisk it all to combine.

Add 2 to 3 pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs to the large dish with the marinade.

Use tongs to toss and coat all the chicken pieces in the za’atar marinade. Allow the chicken to sit for 25 to 30 minutes on the counter to marinate.

Preheat your outdoor grill (or indoor grill pan to medium/medium-high). Once hot I placed the thighs onto the grill grates and closed the lid, cooking the thighs for about 4 to 5minutes.

Then use tongs to flip the chicken thighs. Continue grilling for 3 to 4 more minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.

I wish you could smell this!

And that’s all folks. Serve this with grilled asparagus or zucchini, or tuck pieces into a pita with things like hummus, red onions, lettuce and tomatoes. But my favorite is slicing it up and topping my favorite fattoush salad recipe. These grilled za’atar chicken thighs makes it. While I was making our fattoush salad, Pat walked by snagging a piece or three like he always does. With his mouth full, he told me that “my chicken was on point”. I gave him a big kiss and then promptly told him that nobody says “on point” any more.

He rolled his eyes.

Enjoy! And if you give this recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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Yield: 8 servings

Grilled Za'atar Chicken Thighs

Grilled za'atar chicken thighs are the best thing that will come off your grill this summer. Utterly moist and delicious and so easy to throw together! Chicken thighs marinate in fresh lemon juice, homemade za'atar spice, garlic and parsley marinate for 30 minutes before being grilled to perfection. Serve as is or slice and place on top of a fattoush salad. Delicious!

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 12 minutes mins

Additional Time: 3 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, minced,squeezed through a garlic press or finely grated
• 3 tablespoons za'atar
• 1 tablespoon minced flat leaf parsley
• 2 large lemons, juiced
• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil, or avocado oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, see notes
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

Instructions 

• In large baking dish, whisk together the garlic, za'atar, parsley, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper.
• Place chicken thighs in the dish with the marinade and use tongs to toss and coat each piece. Let sit on the counter for 25 minutes to marinate.
• Next, preheat the grill to medium/medium-high heat. Once hot, place the marinated chicken thighs on to the grill grates and close the lid. Grill for 5 to 6 minutes before flipping and continuing to grill for 3 to 4 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.
• Allow the chicken thighs to rest under tented foil for a few minutes before cutting or serving.

Notes

NOTE: Since my recipe for Za'atar calls for sea salt, I go easy and only add 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt. You can always season the chicken after grilling if you feel it needs more.

OVEN INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat your oven to 400°. Toss all the ingredients onto a rimmed, metal baking sheet. Spread in an even layer and roast on the middle rack for 20 to 25 minutes or until fully cooked. Rotate the pan half way to ensure even cooking and browning.

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 182kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 108mg, Sodium: 349mg, Potassium: 331mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 99IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 40mg, Iron: 2mg

Author: Laurie McNamara

Course: Mains & Entrees

Cuisine: Middle Eastern