Iftar recipe: Za’atar chicken

Serves four

Prep time 1 hour 10 minutes

Cooking time 1 hour

Ingredients:

3 tbsp za’atar (a blend of Middle Eastern dried herbs, including thyme and sumac, with sesame seeds)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 to 4 tbsp lemon juice

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp salt

2 baby chickens, about 2lb each, cleaned and spatchcocked

cracked black pepper to taste

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Method:

Preheat oven to 200ºC.

In a small bowl, whisk the za’atar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt into a thick paste.

Rub the spice paste all over the chickens and let them marinate in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably longer.

Roast on a rack in the oven for 30 minutes uncovered. Reduce the temperature to 180ºC and roast for another 20 to 30 minutes or until a thermometer registers 77ºC (170ºF) when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh, and the juices run clear when pricked with the tip of a knife. Let them rest, tented with foil, for 10 minutes before carving. Scatter the pomegranate seeds over the chicken.

Serve with a green salad or some roasted potatoes. Divine!

How to spatchcock a chicken?

Place the chicken on a board, breast side down. Using a sharp knife or scissors, cut out the entire neck bone and spine. Turn the chicken on the breast side and press it flat with all your strength.

— Dalia Dogmoch Soubra is chief baker and co-founder of Kitsch Cupcakes, and author of Food, Love and Life from Dalia’s Kitchen. This week’s recipes are excerpted from the book, out now.