Delicious roast chicken thighs recipe with wonderful Middle Eastern flavors. An excellent dinner party recipe that can be prepped ahead of time and is worthy of a special occasion.
Recipe by Lisa Goldfinger on February 3, 2024
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT40M
Total time: PT1H
Rating
4.8 stars ( reviews)
Keywords
easy chicken dish for entertaining
Ingredients
8 chicken thighs with skin and bones, trimmed of excess fat and loose skin
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
5 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons za'atar plus more to taste
1 tablespoon sumac
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted (see directions below)
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Categories
Main Dish
Cuisine
Middle Eastern
Steps
In a large bowl, mix chicken, onions, lemon, garlic, 4 tablespoons olive oil, spices, broth, salt, and pepper. Marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 400°F/200ºC. Transfer chicken and its marinade to a shallow baking pan large enough to hold all the chicken pieces lying flat with a little space between pieces. Chicken should be skin side up. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked through. If you want the skin more browned, turn oven up to broil/grill for the last few minutes of cooking, checking every minute or so until the skin is as crisp and brown as you like it. (Be very careful not to burn it)
While the chicken roasts, toast the pine nuts. Line a plate with a double layer of paper towels. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring constantly, until they turn golden. Transfer to paper-towel-lined plate to absorb oil.
To Serve, transfer chicken, onions and lemons to a serving platter. Pour pan juices over the chicken pieces. Sprinkle chicken with extra za'atar (if you like), chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts. See notes for suggested side dishes.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 piece of chicken
Calories: 266 calories
Carbohydrates: 10.9 g
Protein: 8.1 g
Fat: 22.8 g
Saturated Fat: 3.6 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 18.7 mg
Sodium: 504.5 mg
Sugar: 3.5 g
Reviews
CJ on 2025-03-28 (5 stars): The whole family loved this recipe! My 12 year old grandson went back for seconds. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly. However I did adjust the cooking time a little bit. We like our chicken well done. Served it with the roasted cauliflower, potatoes and chickpeas with an olive vinaigrette all delicious.!
Jill on 2025-08-26 (5 stars): My family loved this, and so easy to make
