BBQ Roasted Za’atar Chicken

Here is a great recipe that can be a starting point for BBQ roasted whole chicken. Take your favourite spice blend and use the same process to create juicy, delicious roasted chicken

Here’s what you’ll need:

Za’atar seasoning/spice *

Garlic powder

Mustard powder

Salt

Olive oil

Whole Chicken split open along the back bone and flattened
(Ask your butcher to do this for you or take a heavy sharp knife and cut through the back of the rib cage along one side of the backbone. See the image below for a reference.)

Tahini

Parsley

Garlic

Honey

Pomegranate

BBQ

Instant read food thermometer

Za’atar BBQ Roasted Chicken with
Herbed Tahini and Pomegranate Seeds

Serves: 2-4 people

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
2 TBSP za’atar
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP mustard powder
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
2 TBSP olive oil

Recipe:

1. Mix the za’atar powder with the garlic, mustard powder and pepper
   2. Rub the spice mix into the chicken and refrigerate over night
   3. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and rub with the olive oil and salt
   4. Preheat the BBQ to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Using an indirect cooking method place the chicken onto the BBQ with the breasts up and ribcage down (Indirect cooking means the heat is turned off under the chicken)
   5. Roast the chicken for 60 minutes trying not to open the BBQ. You will need to maintain the 400 degree temperature by adjusting the heat every once and a while
   6. Cook until the thermometer reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit, then rest it for 10 minutes before cutting and enjoying

Herbed Tahini Sauce

Ingredients:

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
1/8 cup parsley
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 cup water
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

1. In a blender, mixer or with a hand blender mix the first 6 ingredients together
   2. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy

Plating:

Take the roasted chicken and divide into 4, 6 or 8 pieces. Drizzle with the herbed tahini sauce, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and top with fresh cilantro leaves or parsley… enjoy with friends and family

*Za’atar is a popular Middle Eastern spice blend that contains some, most, or all of the following: oregano, thyme, marjoram, sesame seeds, sumac, salt and other spices. It’s just like curry in the sense that every household will have a curry recipe but they will all be different.

Za’atar can be found in some grocery stores (I get ours at the Superstore) or Middle Eastern grocery stores.