Middle-Eastern Bowls with Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Skewers and Grilled Zucchini
I have been SO into middle-eastern flavors lately. This meal was loosely inspired by a meal my sister and I had at Tusk last year (yes, it’s stayed with me this long!) when we went and saw Bon Iver in Portland. That was the one and only time I’ve eaten there and it seems odd to say a place is my favorite restaurant if I’ve only been once but it’s definitely up there. The menu is highly seasonal and middle-eastern inspired and everything just sounds so damn good. Their cocktails and desserts are absolutely incredible, too. I plan on hopefully going down there this summer and visiting again. I wish it was closer. I also really wanna check out Tusk’s new sister restaurant La Neta at The Hoxton Hotel. We’ll see.
We ordered a veggie platter sprinkled with the most delicious aromatic and seasonal spice/seed blend and these incredible chicken skewers. I recreated it, putting my own spin on it. The elements are all really simple but it’s such a satisfying and tasty meal all together. The chicken gets super tender and flavorful in the yogurt marinade and grills up to juicy perfection. And the zucchini are just kissed by the grill for a little char. We still want them nice and firm, no mushy zucchini here. I’d recommend using zucchini on the smaller side, too as the larger ones tend to get a little too seedy in the center. The whole thing is laid atop some hummus (whatever your fave is), sprinkled with the super simple spice and seed mix, and showered in fresh herbs. I love to add some pickled onions too (I pretty much put them on everything these days) and some flatbread if you’d like. I use the recipe out of Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons for slightly tangy flatbreads (he just so happens to be one of the owners of Tusk) but this recipe from Bon Appetit is very similar. They’re so easy to make and help to scoop everything up. I shot this recipe about a month ago but now writing about it I think I need to make it again soon. So good! I hope you enjoy and please let me know if you make it!
Middle-Eastern Bowls with Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Skewers and Grilled Zucchini
serves 4
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes (you could also use boneless skinless thighs if you like dark meat)
2 c plain whole milk yogurt (not greek)
2 whole lemons
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 t sumac
2 t crushed coriander seeds
1/2 t cayenne
2 t salt
4 small/medium zucchinis, washed, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
avocado oil, for grill pan
spice mix
1 t flaky salt (Jacobsen is my go-to)
1 T sesame seeds
1 T crushed coriander seeds
2 T walnuts, finely chopped
2 t sumac ( if you can’t find sumac, you can sub a teaspoon of lemon zest)
to serve
hummus
flatbread
pickled onions (recipe here!)
sliced cucumber
large handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1-2 T pomegranate molasses (optional but adds such a delicious sweet acidity to the whole thing!)
marinate the chicken
In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, juice of the lemons as well as the rinds, garlic, sumac, coriander seeds, cayenne, and salt in a bowl and mix together. Add in the chicken and stir well to make sure the chicken is fully coated. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge at least 4 hours, up to overnight. You can also do this in a plastic zip-top bag.
cook the chicken and zucchini
To make the spice mix, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Take the chicken out of the fridge and skewer onto wooden skewers, tapping any excess yogurt off the chicken. Preheat a cast-iron grill pan over medium heat or if using an outdoor barbecue or grill, heat to medium. If you don’t have a grill or grill pan, you can also totally just make this in a cast-iron skillet. Once preheated, grease the grill lightly with avocado oil and add the chicken skewers, working in batches if necessary. Cook for about 6 minutes on the first side then flip and cook an additional 4-5 minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken should be at least 175 F. Remove from grill pan and allow to rest and the juices to redistribute for a few minutes. Lightly toss the zucchini quarters in avocado oil to coat then grill for about 2 minutes per side, just until grill marks have formed and are warmed through. We want the zucchini to still be firm, not mushy! Remove zucchinis from grill pan.
assemble
To serve, dollop some hummus onto a plate, layer on a couple chicken skewers and stack up about 4 zucchini quarters. Drizzle everybody with a little pomegranate molasses, sprinkle over some of the spice mix, and fresh cilantro. Serve with flatbread, pickled onions and sliced cucumbers. Enjoy!
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