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Archive, Food, Main Meals, Meats  /  October 2, 2019

Za’atar and Lemon Roasted Chicken + My Opinions on Eating Meat

by Olivia
Jump to Recipe
Za'atar and Lemon Roasted Chicken vertical overhead

Winner Winner Za’tar and Lemon Roasted Chicken Dinner!

There’s just something about the Fall and Winter that makes a roasted dish sound so appetizing. It most likely has to do with the fact that it’s cold as f*ck outside, and I need something warm my body. And you know what? I have the perfect recipe for that. I present, the Za’atar and Lemon Roasted Chicken! This recipe was actually inspired by Eyeswoon’s Sumac Roasted Chicken. One night, I wanted to make this recipe but could not find sumac anywhere, so I decided to substitute it with za’atar.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with za’atar, it’s a Middle Eastern spice mix. Za’atar is herbaceous, zesty, and nutty. You can buy this spice blend already mixed in supermarkets or you can make your own. It’s typically made up of oregano, thyme, marjoram, sumac, and sesame seeds.

Let me tell you, this Za’atar and Lemon Roasted Chicken is one of the best roasted chicken recipes I’ve even eaten! I made this recipe twice within a month. That’s how good it is.

Za'atar and Lemon Roasted Chicken overhead shot

My Thoughts on Meat

To delve even deeper, I’m going to share my thoughts on meat. Starting off, I am not a vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian. However, the things I eat on a daily basis reflect those diets, and I truly embrace veganism and vegetarianism. I’m not a vegan or vegetarian because I don’t want to put a label on my diet and have to restrict myself from eating foods. I can continue eating along a vegan/vegetarian diet, but I don’t have to label myself as one, which, I think, takes away the pressure from forever forbidding myself from eating meat.

I’ve never been a huge meat-eater — I gravitate more towards seafood, vegetables, and carbs. You will most definitely never see me order a steak at a restaurant. That’s not to say that I hate meat. I just don’t have a preference for it. There are some meat dishes that I love, but they simply aren’t things that I eat on an everyday basis. I do get cravings for meat every now and then. Usually, when I go home from college, Bonchon Chicken is one of my go-to’s, so shoutout to you, Bonchon. I love you. But generally speaking, I’m not a huge meat gal.

Chicken over vegetables

Meating the Standards

Connecting back to my blog, when I first started, I considered making it a vegan/vegetarian food blog. But, at the end of the day, I felt like that truly didn’t represent who I am. I like to think of myself as someone who covers all the bases. I really enjoy bouncing around from healthy to unhealthy, cuisine to cuisine, vegetarian dishes to meat-based dishes, etc. Similar to why I’m not vegan/vegetarian, I didn’t want to limit myself as to what I could and couldn’t post.

Taking everything I said into consideration, you may not see an abundance of meat recipes on my blog. I apologize if you’re a huge meat-eater, but I’m just not that inspired by meat. I don’t want to post recipes that I don’t truly love just for the sake of posting it. And I’m not saying that I’ll never post any meat recipes — there just won’t be a huge overload of them. With that said, when I do post a meat recipe, that means it’s f*cking amazing. It’s so good that I had to post it. Any old chicken recipe isn’t gonna make it on here. It has to be one that I’m wowed by.

So, that’s how you know this Za’atar and Lemon Roasted Chicken is dang doodly delicious! Not gonna lie, chicken makes me kind of iffy when I think too hard about it. I was skeptical upon my initial taste of this recipe, but when the chicken connected to my tastebuds, I was shook. I was so impressed and fell in love with it! It’s so flavorful and juicy. The juice of the chicken drips into the caramelized vegetables, creating this wondrous, flavorful combination.

Za'atar and Lemon Roasted Chicken side shot

Thanks for Stopping By!

This A Za’atar and Lemon Roasted Chicken will blow your socks off but keep your feet cozy because it’ll warm you from head to toe. As I said, its perfect for the Fall, and you can switch up the vegetables depending on what you have on hand. This recipe has gotten the Olivia Meat Approval, so you know it’s gonna be good! Thanks so much for reading this (if you did), and I hope you got to know a little more about me. I’ll catch ya’ll in my next post, and I hope you have a fabulous day!!

Print Pin

Za’atar and Lemon Roasted Chicken

A warm and zesty roasted chicken recipe perfect for the Fall!
Servings 4 people
Author Olivia

Ingredients

  • 1 (4 lb) Whole Chicken
  • 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter (softened)
  • 1 Lemon (zest and juice)
  • 2 + 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt (separated)
  • 1 1/2 + 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper (separated)
  • 2 tbsp + 1 tsp Za'atar Spice
  • 3 Small/Medium Carrots or 2 Large (cut into 3/4 inch chunks)
  • 12 oz Whole Brussels Sprouts (ends trimmed)
  • 1 Large Red Onion (cut into large chunks)
  • 2 Small Russet Potatoes (or 1 Large) (cut into 3/4 inch chunks)
  • 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 head Garlic (sliced in half, horizontally)

Instructions

  • Mix the butter and zest from half of the lemon in a small bowl. Place the chicken on a tray, and spread the butter mixture everywhere under the skin of the chicken.
  • In a small bowl mix together 2 tsp of Kosher Salt, 1 1/2 tsp of Black pepper, and 1 tbsp + 1 tsp of za'atar. Evenly sprinkle this seasoning onto the entire chicken. Then zest the the remaining half of the lemon onto the chicken as well. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for about 6 hours or overnight.
  • Preheat your oven to 425˚F
  • Combine the chopped carrots, brussels sprouts, red onion, and potatoes in a roasting pan. Use 1/4 cup of the olive oil to coat the vegetables. Add in 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp za'atar, and mix together.
  • Place the chicken on top of the vegetables with the breast-side up. Squeeze the juice from half of the lemon on top of the chicken and then pour the remaining 1/4 cup of oil over the chicken. Place the squeezed lemon half into the cavity of the chicken along with one half of the sliced garlic head. Separate the other half of the sliced garlic head into cloves. Smash the cloves, remove the papery skin, and distribute them into the vegetables.
  • Place the chicken into the oven and bake until the internal temperature reaches 165˚F, about 70-80 minutes. When the vegetables begin to char, start to mix them every 10 minutes. If the skin of the chicken becomes too dark for your liking, loosely wrap a sheet of aluminum foil over the chicken. When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven an allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

Recipe inspired by: Eyeswoon

Hungry for more?

  • Garlic Parmesan Ranch Chicken ThighsGarlic Parmesan Ranch Chicken Thighs
  • Slow Cooker BBQ Beef SandwichesSlow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches
  • Butter Chicken Pot PieButter Chicken Pot Pie

Tags

  • lemon
  • main meals
  • meat
  • roasted chicken

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2 comments

  • Sarah Jane Martin
    March 23, 2024

    This sounds delicious. I have a whole turkey breast that I want to do something different with. I’ll give this a try and let you know how it turns out.

    Reply
    • Olivia Lam
      April 2, 2024

      Oh my gosh yes please! That sounds fantastic, let me know how it turns out!

      Reply

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