Sheet-pan recipes like this one are great for easy weeknight dinners that require little preparation and minimal dishes. Another hit out of Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley’s Falastin: A Cookbook, this recipe jumped off the page as we flipped through the book and will easily become a weeknight staple.
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Ingredients and Recipe

Lemon Chicken with Za’atar
Equipment
- Chefs Knife
- Measuring Spoons
- Mixing Bowls
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper or Silpat Baking Mat
- Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 3 lemons
- 2 chicken thighs (1.5 lbs / 0.7kg) bone in, skin on
- 2 chicken breasts (1.5 lbs / 0.7kg) bone in, skin on
- 2 medium yellow onions (2 ¾ cups / 260g) sliced in half lengthwise, then each half cut into 3 wedges
- 2 heads of garlic skin on, sliced in half, crosswise
- 2 tsp sumac
- ¾ tsp ground allspice or 1 tsp whole allspice berries, ground in a spice grinder
- 2 tbsp za'atar (12.5g)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (45ml)
- ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp chicken stock or water (200ml)
- 1½ tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
For the Parsley Mixture
- ¼ cup parsley finely chopped
- 2 tbsp za'atar
- zest of 1 lemon (1½ tsp)
- juice of 1 lemon (1½ tbsp)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the Topping
- ¼ cup sliced almonds (30g) toasted
Instructions
- Cut 2 of the lemons into ¼-inch/6mm-thick slices and place in a large mixing bowl. Finely grate the zest of the remaining lemon (to get 1½ tsp of zest) and set this aside for later. Squeeze the same lemon to get about 1½ tbsp of juice and add this to the mixing bowl.
- Add the chicken, onions, garlic, sumac, allspice, 2 tbsp za'atar, 2 tbsp of olive oil, the chicken stock, 1½ tsp of salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the mixing bowl. Mix well to combine, then cover with a large plate and let marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or overnight, if you have time).
- 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking, take the chicken out of the fridge; it should be at room temperature before going into the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Transfer the chicken to a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat baking mat, skin side up, and pour on all the marinade and lemon slices. Drizzle the chicken with 1 tbsp of olive oil and bake for about 40 minutes, giving everything a good shake halfway through, until the chicken is golden and cooked through and the onions have taken the same color. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 160°F.
- Toward the end of the cooking time for the chicken, combine the parsley, lemon zest, 2 tbsp of za'atar and 3 tbsp of olive oil in a bowl. Set aside.
- Toast the ¼ cup of almonds in a small pan.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving platter along with the lemon slices and any juices that have collected at the bottom of the pan.
- Spoon the parsley mixture on the chicken, finish with the toasted almonds, and serve.
Notes
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