My love affair with the sumac I got from Dubai continues and after making Diana Henry’s Sumac Roast Tomatoes, Lentils and Dukkah Crusted Eggs a week or so ago, I just had to try this Sumac and Lemon Roast Chicken recipe from one of my favourite blogs, Feasting at Home.
Sylvia’s blog really lives up to its name and it is easy to get lost in the delicious recipes on her site. The photography is absolutely beautiful too and a definite inspiration to make the recipes. One of my most favourite and incredibly tasty chicken dishes on my blog also comes from Sylvia’s blog. The Peri Peri Chicken with Potatoes is “lip smackingly” good and a feast in the true sense of the word.
I did not change too much to the original recipe but instead of cutting a whole chicken into pieces I used chicken 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks just as a personal preference, as I feel those pieces are the tastiest of a chicken. I did not have meyer lemons so only used one medium lemon sliced as I did not want the sauce to become bitter while cooking.
I find the easiest way to coat the chicken pieces in the marinade is to place the pieces in a large freezer bag, pour the marinade in and give it all a good shake until the pieces are well covered. I roasted the potatoes at the same time as the chicken. Boil the baby potatoes in some salted water until just cooked. Place on a baking sheet and smash gently with a fork. Drizzle well with olive oil and sprinkle with course salt and a few sprigs of thyme. Roast at the same time as the chicken until the edges are crispy and caramelised.
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Sumac and Lemon Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 chicken pieces or a whole chicken cut into pieces
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 tbsp sumac
- 5 cloves garlic mashed
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon sliced
- sprigs of fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
- Mix the lemon juice, sumac, garlic, olive oil and salt together
- Place the marinade and chicken pieces in a large freezer bag and mix/shake until the chicken is completely covered with the marinade
- Place the lemon slices in a baking dish and top with a few sprigs of thyme
- Lay the chicken skin side up over the lemon and thyme
- Roast for about 50 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the juice runs clear when you pierce a thigh. To increase the crispiness of the skin place under the gill for a few minutes while keeping a close watch
- To serve, spoon a little of the sauce from the pan, over the chicken, garnish with fresh thyme sprigs
Adapted from Feasting at Home
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