Middle Eastern Spice Baked Chicken Breasts Recipes

EASY MEDITERRANEAN BAKED CHICKEN BREAST

Steps:

• Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on all sides and place in a bowl or lidded container. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and thyme in a small bowl and pour marinade over chicken breasts. Marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Set one oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
• Place chicken breasts into a baking dish and pour marinade on top.
• Bake chicken on the middle rack of the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 35 to 45 minutes, depending upon thickness. Move baking dish to the top rack and broil chicken until well browned, about 5 minutes.

MIDDLE EASTERN SPICE BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Place all ingredients, except chicken, in a blender and process until well mixed.
• Pour over chicken and bake at 350 degrees F. for about 50 minutes or until done.
• Serve with the suggested condiments listed in the description above.

MIDDLE-EASTERN SPICED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix yogurt, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Marinate chicken in yogurt mixture for 1-2 hours.
• Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute for a few minutes until they are becoming tender. Add chicken/marinade and apricots and continue to cook. After about five minutes, add orange juice and chicken broth. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• With a spoon, add some of the hot cooking liquid to a bowl. Mix with cornstarch until smooth, and return this mixture to the saucepan. Stir constantly until thickened. At this point, you may wish to add additional amounts of cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
• Serve with basmati rice. Note: for additional flavor, cook rice with chicken broth.

MIDDLE EASTERN-INSPIRED HERB AND GARLIC CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine chicken with all but 1 teaspoon of the grated garlic (save that teaspoon for the yogurt sauce), the zest and juice of 1 lemon, oil, parsley, mint, thyme, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the sesame seeds and sumac, if using. Cover and marinate for 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature; you can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.
• Heat grill or broiler. If grilling, cook chicken over high heat until charred in spots, 4 to 7 minutes. Flip pieces and continue grilling until just cooked through, another 4 to 7 minutes. If broiling, arrange a rack 3 to 4 inches from flame. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spread chicken out in a single layer. Broil chicken, turning halfway through cooking, until well colored and charred in spots, 4 to 7 minutes per side. Be careful that it doesn't burn.
• While chicken cooks, place yogurt in a small bowl. Stir in the reserved grated garlic and lemon zest and season to taste with salt. Serve the chicken drizzled with olive oil, remaining lemon juice to taste, black pepper, parsley and sesame seeds and sumac, if using, with the yogurt alongside for dipping.

OVEN-ROASTED ZA'ATAR CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Pound chicken breasts to a 1-inch thickness for even cooking. Place in a large resealable plastic bag.
• Combine 2 tablespoons za'atar seasoning, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Pour mixture over the chicken and toss to coat evenly. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.
• Place chicken breasts on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with remaining za'atar seasoning.
• Roast in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 23 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Season with salt.