Za’atar Spiced Grilled Chicken breasts are tender and juicy thanks to a simple marinade of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and za’atar.
Za’atar is one of my favorite spice blends of all time which is why it thrills me beyond belief to see it becoming trendy these days. The truth is, when I open up a bag of fresh za’atar, the earthy, smoky aroma immediately transports me back into my Great Aunt Vieve’s kitchen. I have countless memories of being a little girl watching her as she masterfully sprinkled za’atar over her famous Middle Eastern Salad with Lemon, Mint and Garlic.
If you’re not familiar with za’atar, think of it as an all-in-one Middle Eastern spice blend, similar to my All-Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend. In addition to spicing up any salad, it is an ideal rub for grilled meats and vegetables. When combined with olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh garlic, Za’atar Spiced Grilled Chicken breasts become a tender, juicy, and flavor-packed weeknight dinner the whole family will devour.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts: An accessible, affordable source of lean protein that grills to be tender and juicy.
- Olive oil: Helps to coat the chicken in the spices to soak up the flavor.
- Lemon juice: The lemon not only adds great flavor, but the acidity also helps to tenderize the chicken.
- Za’atar: A delicious Middle Eastern blend of spices that usually consist of za’atar itself, along with oregano, thyme, sumac, and sometimes marjoram.
- Garlic: Nutty, pungent, aromatic flavor that pairs well with the za’atar spice.
How to Make Za’atar Spiced Grilled Chickenss
Start your za’atar spiced grilled chicken by making the marinade. First juice your lemon into a large bowl.
Then you’ll drizzle in the olive oil.
Next take a microplane or garlic press and add the garlic cloves.
Then season with a bit of salt and pepper to taste.
And finish with the za’atar spice.
Whisk it all together until fully combined.
Then add your chicken to the bowl and mix around to make sure they are fully coated, then let marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat your grill to medium-high and grill for about 7 minutes per side.
When finished cooking, let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy your Za’atar Spiced Grilled Chicken!
Frequently Asked Questions:
How long to marinate chicken in spices?
As a rule of thumb, I say plan for at least 30 minutes to marinate. But the longer you can let it sit, the better the flavor will be. It’s amazing the extra punch of flavor you’ll get if you let your chicken marinate for 5-6 hours.
How do you keep chicken soft and moist?
Marinating and coating the chicken in olive oil before cooking helps to keep the chicken from drying out on the grill.
What do you do with za’atar spice?
I love to use it on all kinds of meat as well as vegetables! It’s great on both baked and grilled dishes.
Complimentary Side DIshes
- Grilled Veggies with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette
- Mediterranean Chopped Salad
- Italian Garden Salad with Fennel
- Roasted Vegetables with Tahini Lemon Sauce
- Lebanese Rice Pilaf with Vermicelli
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This summer you’ll definitely want to try my za’atar spiced grilled chicken. Be sure to grill a little extra – it’s great the next day in sandwiches, salads, or pitas.
Your fork is waiting.
Za’atar Spiced Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup za’atar
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in a large glass baking dish or resealable plastic bag.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, za'atar, garlic, salt, and pepper then pour marinade over the chicken. Move chicken breasts around to ensure they are evenly coated in mixture. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Grill chicken breasts on medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees or higher. Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving to allow juices to re-distribute.
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I made this recipe with chicken tenders on the grill. It is by far our favorite chicken recipe ever. I served it with a scoop of plain greek yogurt.
Delicious!
I made this last night and it was a big hit! I cut the chicken breasts into chunks, marinated them for a couple of hours then skewered them with red peppers, mushrooms, zucchini and yellow squash (very pretty!) and did them in the air fryer rotisserie for about 25 minutes. I doubled the lemon juice and olive oil and reserved part of the marinade and mixed it with greek yogurt to use as a sauce and a dressing for salad. It was super yummy! Next time I’ll back off on the amount of zahtar and salt, but otherwise, it was amazing!!! Thank you for this recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed it!!!
I saw a comment that this would be good broiled instead of grilled (I don’t have a bbq). How long would you recommend grilling it and Lo or Hi? Thanks! Can’t wait to try this!
Yes broiling would be great! Probably 4-7 minutes per side depending on thickness.
This was so easy and yummy, I bought a bottle of zaatar at the beginning of quarantine and have been at a loss with what to do with it!
I’m so glad you found this!! I have TONs of others be sure to search “za’atar” to find them all on the search button!!
I’ve never seen za’atar that doesn’t include salt, so I omit the salt altogether. Salt is easy to add, hard to remove!
Oh interesting!! Mine has no salt!
I have used Za’atar for many years and from different countries and none have had salt
Yes that’s correct – it’s a spice without salt.
I can already tell that this is going to DELICIOUS! I am marinating my chicken as I’m writing this. Tomorrow, it will go on the grill ????
I decided to make this recipe instead of another that actually called for chicken thighs. I just went with it since I already had the thighs waiting in the fridge. I see no reason why these won’t be just as awesome as a boneless, skinless breast or thigh would be. In fact, I think the bone and the skin will just add to the deliciousness ????
I’ll let you know how it comes out!
How did it turn out Tracey?
It was AMAZING! everything was spot on and my husband loved It ! In fact, I’m making it again right now!
Sorry it took me so long to reply. I didn’t know there was a comment ????
I’m so glad you loved it!
Although this was super easy to throw together, and was quite tasty, I honestly thought that there was WAY too much salt in the marinade. I will definitely make this again, but I will probably cut the salt in 1/2, maybe more. I also think that adding a bit of lemon zest in addition to the lemon juice would give it just a bit more sparkle. Overall, it was okay, but this recipe could use a bit of tweaking…
Hi Janet,
Thanks so much for letting me know! In general, I recommend one teaspoon of salt for every one pound of meat. You’re certainly welcome to lower the amount though! Either way I’m glad you enjoyed it!
We had this for dinner tonight, along with fattoush and roasted potatoes, and it was a big hit. Not only that, but it was so simple to make too. Thank you!
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed it Vivian! Let me know if you try any other recipes!
I’m not going to wait for grilling season to try this! Looks fantastic .
haha please don’t!!! Great under the broiler too!