My Ultimate Roast Chicken Recipe!

The magical combination of fragrant spices, charred lemon, honey & garlic gets me every time.

It’s a big call, but I have to make it. This is my ultimate roast chicken. marinated in Fragrant spices - za’atar, cinnamon, paprika, the charred lemon, garlic and the sweetness of honey.

I love to serve it with hummus & tabouli but it goes so well with roast or grilled veggies like eggplant or zucchini and you could serve it with any salad you love, like this incredible Cauliflower salad I have on the site.

Growing up in the Blue Mountains, Australia, I had a Lebanese neighbour, Nadeema. I became her adopted grandson and was quickly immersed in a world of Middle Eastern food, flavours & culture for my child and adolescent life. It has heavily inspired the food I love to cook and eat today. Everything was centred around the garden, the kitchen and the table. I feel so lucky and grateful to have had that experience in my life at such a young age and it’s what I hope to share now through things like this newsletter.

Get ahead - you can marinate the chicken up to a day in advance and cook it an hour or two before you need it then reheat or serve at room temp. This is one of my biggest tips to take the stress out of cooking for people, especially if you have a few things going on.

Leftovers - I’ll usually make double as I love to have leftover roast chicken in the fridge. Reheated in the oven or the meat pulled and tossed through salads or into a wrap with hummus & salad. its the meal that keeps on giving.

Another option - something else to think about trying is to roast the chicken one a mix of other veggies like potatoes, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower …. you get thew idea. This makes for an epic one tray meal, Sunday roast or meal prep!

Chicken - I’ve also tried and love this marinade on Fish - whole and fillets, its so good! I feature a recipe for it in my cookbook - More Fish, More Veg.

Cauliflower, pumpkin and wedges of onions marinated and roasted works as well or a combination of those with some Brussel sprouts!

Za’atar - This intoxicating mix of dried wild thyme (sometimes oregano), toasted sesame seeds, sumac & salt is incredible but if you cant get, the recipe is still delicious without. I encourage you to seek it out.

Pine nuts - these really add such a traditional flavour to the dish but you could play with other nuts - slivered almonds, crushed hazelnuts or pistachio will all work as would pepita seeds.

Honey - If you’re wanting to leave out, the dish will still work or you can swap in for maple for a slightly different flavour.

Za’atar & Lemon & Honey Roast Chicken

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut into quarters - legs and breasts

Flake sea salt, fresh ground black pepper

marinade