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 it turns chicken breasts into a tender, juicy, and flavor-packed weeknight dinner the whole family will devour. Be sure to grill a little extra chicken – it’s great the next day in sandwiches, salads, or pitas.
Your fork is waiting.
Za’atar Spiced Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 six ounce boneles sskinless chicken breasts
- 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.
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!