Roast Chicken with Ghee, Za’atar and Pomegranate Molasses

Recipe Description:

One of my favorite comfort foods growing up was chicken drizzled with ghee and roasted to a crispy perfection. This za’atar-pomegranate glaze adds a slightly tangy thyme-based flavor to it, making it simply delectable. Best of all, it’s a super simple glaze to add to your roasting routine!

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 1 Hours and 5 Minutes

Servings: 5-6

Difficulty: Moderate

Recipe Ingredients:

To boil the chicken:

1 whole organic pastured chicken

enough filtered water to cover the chicken (I like to use a lot because I use the stock for different dishes throughout the week)

1 yellow onion, quartered

2-3 crushed bay leaves

3-4 cardamom pods, crushed to release flavor

1 tablespoon unrefined salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1-2 mastic crystals (optional, but adds a nice background flavor)

For the glaze:

3 tablespoons grass-fed ghee, divided

4 tablespoons za'atar, divided (I used Canaan Fair Trade za'atar, and it was phenomenal)

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses ( you can easily make your own by reducing pomegranate juice, but I used the Cortas brand this time)

1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt, divided

dash freshly ground black pepper

Recipe Instructions:

Rinse and salt chicken: First rinse chicken thoroughly under running water, and apply salt generously to skin and rub in. Leave for 10 minutes and then rinse off the salt.

Add to pot with ingredients: I use my stainless steal strainer pot because it is deep, but you can use any pot that would fit the chicken and water without splashing everywhere while it’s boiling. Add filtered water, chicken, onion, mastic crystals, bay leaves, cardamom, salt and pepper.

Cook the chicken: Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium and simmer for 45 minutes or so. During the first 20 minutes of cooking, remove foamy scum that rises to the top and discard. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the inside of the chicken has cooked and the internal temperature is over 165F.

Preheat the oven and prepare chicken: Preheat the oven to 375F on the broil setting. Meanwhile, take out the chicken from the broth and set on a baking pan. On one side of the chicken, evenly drizzle 1.5 tablespoons of ghee and 1.5 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses to cover as much of the exposed side as possible and evenly sprinkle 2 tablespoons of za'atar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper.

Roast in the oven: I prefer to roast the coated side first before flipping to add the glaze, so that it roasts evenly and the spices stay put when I flip the chicken. Roast one side for 10 minutes or so, then take out of the oven to glaze the other side. Flip the chicken, and repeat the same step as above with the same ingredients and measurements for the glaze. Place back in the oven to roast for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown. I like to spoon some of the melted ghee that has settled on the bottom on top of the chicken before serving, hot, next to roasted vegetables or a creamy soup! Enjoy.

Editor's Note: You can substitute oregano for za'atar in a pinch, but it is definitely NOT the same. Make pomegranate molasses by reducing pomegranate juice over medium heat until it's a a thick syrup.

Author: midEATS

MidEATS was founded by real foodie and writer Heba Saleh and lawyer-mom Brenda Abdelall in August 2011, with the goal of presenting to the world the best Middle Eastern REAL food blog the internet has ever seen. We created this site to teach the world how to cook Middle Eastern food and to enjoy the process. We know that it isn’t just the food that makes Middle Eastern food so great: it’s the ingredients, history, and preparation that makes our food into a truly delicious meal. We will share with you the stories and traditions of Middle Eastern cuisine and culture. View all posts by midEATS

Recipe Description:

Recipe Ingredients:

Recipe Instructions:

Author: midEATS

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