Middle Eastern Za’atar baked chicken bowls with cucumber tomato dill salad and raita are a mega fresh dining experience.
This tidbit of information has probably been made obvious over the years, since you bare witness to most of my meals, but 99.98% of what I eat is consumed out of a bowl.
I’m hopelessly devoted to bowls, signed, sealed, delivered. I’d be lying if I said I don’t get flack from the man partner over it, but being on Team Bowl Food is a beautiful, unifying experience. You should try it. We’re accepting new members.
Now that we’ve cleared that up…
This bowl adventure includes za’atar-spiced oven baked chicken in combination, fresh cucumber-tomato-dill salad, and raita, making for a super light and zesty meal.
If you aren’t familiar with Za’atar, it’s a Middle Eastern spice blend involving fresh (or dried) thyme, sesame seeds, sumac, ground cumin, and salt. The blend has an earthy, exotic flavor and is perfect for using on chicken, fish, beef, and vegetables.
While it may seem like there are many moving parts in this recipe, it comes together easily and can also be made in stages. For instance, the chicken can marinate for up to 12 hours, and the cucumber salad and raita can be prepared up to 3 days in advance (well, more like up to 5, but we’ll call it 3 for the freshest results).
If you’ve never tried raita, the concept is very similar to tzatziki. It’s a yogurt-based condiment with cucumber and fresh herbs. I love adding goat milk feta for an extra zing, and I also use goat milk kefir rather than yogurt. You can easily replace the kefir with whole milk Greek yogurt!
Recipe notes:
- If you don’t have dried sumac on-hand, you can replace it with your favorite spice blend, such as Garam Masala, curry powder, Cajun seasoning, etc. Get creative!
- Meal prep options: Marinate the chicken up to 12 hours in advance, cook the rice up to 3 days ahead of time, and/or prepare the raita and cucumber salad up to 3 days ahead of time.
- Replace the kefir with whole milk yogurt or non-dairy yogurt of choice
I served the meal over steamed brown rice, but you can also go grain-free and serve it with spaghetti squash, quinoa (this Cooling Tri-Color Quinoa Salad with Cucumber, Mint, and Lime Dressing would be an amazing accompaniment) , cauliflower rice, or sweet potato rice.
Za’ataaaaaar!
Za'atar Baked Chicken Bowls
Ingredients
Za'atar Spice Blend:
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme minced
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
- 2 teaspoons ground sumac
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
For the Chicken
Cucumber Tomato Dill Salad:
- 1-1/2 cups cucumber peeled and diced
- 1-1/2 cups heirloom tomato seeded and diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt to taste
Kefir Raita:
- 1 cup whole milk kefir I use goat milk kefir*
- 1/2 cup feta cheese I used goat milk feta
- 1 cup cucumber peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt to taste
For Serving Bowls:
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken:
- Stir together the ingredients for the za’atar spice blend in a small bowl.Â
- Place the chicken in a zip lock bag or sealable container and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons (or more) of the za’atar spice blend and sea salt. Seal the bag and shake/rotate the bag until the chicken is well-coated in spices and oil. Allow chicken to marinate at least 15 minutes, up to 12 hoursÂ
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place chicken in a casserole dish in a single layer, allowing space between each breast for even cooking. Bake chicken 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and allow it to rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing
- Form bowls by dividing rice, chicken, and cucumber salad among 3 to 4 bowls. Drizzle with kefir raita and serve.
Prepare the Raita
- Stir together the ingredients for the raita in a bowl until combined. Taste for flavor and add sea salt to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Prepare the Cucumber Salad:
- Combine the ingredients for the salad in a mixing bowl and toss together to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
I’m totally willing to switch to team bowl if it means meals like this one. YUM! I love the kefir in the raita!
Ummmmm, this looks like it wants to be my lunch today. And I have everything but the kefir…..It sounds so refreshing!!!
What is Kefir milk and where would I find it?
@Dianne, my kids work at Sprouts and they have it in a couple flavors. I would assume that you’d find it in a Whole Foods, Fresh Market or similar stores.
Some many flavors vying for your attention! The chicken bowl looks yummy. Buddha bowls are complete meals in themselves and healthier options, too. Your recipe is perfect, although I’d probably go for a mix vegetable salad and buttermilk raita. Maybe some tubers, peppers and squash. Zaatar does add a fresh taste and punch to dishes. Though, quality of zaatar mixes vary a lot. Most of the mixes in the market sadly contain fillings like wheat, or even citric acid in place of sumac. They have very little of the real zaatar herb (grown in the middle east), That’s why I trust this online shop for my sumac and zaatar. If allowed in the comment, I’d suggest this site — http://www.eatzaatar.com
The word Za’atar is really really new to me ? I would like to try it a lot bc it looks so healthy and tasty.
However I’m too lazy to prepare the chicken as you instructions, Could I change into another meat like beef or pork?
Will it destroy the whole flavor of your recipe?
Hi Natalie,
You can definitely do your own choice of animal protein! Hope you enjoy!