Tahini paste made from roasted sesame seeds and oil is one of the stellar ingredients in Middle Eastern cuisine. Hummus, baba ghanoush and even sweet halva, they all contain tahini. In this recipe the paste is mixed with buttermilk and Middle Eastern spices to keep the chicken juicy and add a new interesting flavor. Besides tahini offers many health benefits, including healthy macronutrients and a variety of good-for-you vitamins and minerals. We like our chicken thighs with the bone in and skin on but the recipe works just as well with skinless bone less chicken thigh fillets.
Baked Middle Eastern chicken (serves 4)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup tahini paste
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin, ground
2 tsp coriander, ground
sea salt and cracked black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
8 x chicken thigh fillets, skin on and bone in
2 tbsp olive oil
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix the buttermilk, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and coriander in a bowl and season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the chicken and make sure it is well coated. Place the chicken on a baking tray lined with non stick baking paper, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until slightly browned and cooked through. Serve with herbed couscous and/or tomato cucumber salad.
