Go Back
Print Recipe

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH CITRUSY MIDDLE EASTERN RELISH

Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keyword: chicken, chicken thighs, fresh herbs, gluten free, lemon juice, lemon zest, Medjool dates, pistachios, red onion, sumac
Servings: 6 people
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Ingredients

  • 8-12 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on or a combination of 8 thighs and 4-6 drumsticks
  • 1 small red onion or 1/2 medium-sized onion thinly sliced
  • 2 medium sized lemons zested and juiced, approx 1/3 cup juice
  • 6 Medjool dates pitted, coarsely chopped or a combination of dates, raisins and/or apricots all rough chopped
  • ¼ cup tender herbs such as tarragon, parsley, and/or chives, coarsely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons sumac
  • ⅓ cup pistachios coarsely chopped
  • kosher salt to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat grill on medium high heat.
  • Spray grill with oil and then place chicken on grill and cook for 25-30 minutes, approx 15 mins per side.
  • While the chicken is grilling, make the relish by tossing red onion, lemon zest and juice, dates, herbs, and sumac together in a medium bowl to combine. Set aside.
  • Before serving chicken, add the pistachios and toss again. (Adding the pistachios right before will keep them at their max crunchiness.) Season with salt.
  • Arrange chicken on a platter and spoon relish over chicken and serve any remaining relish in a small bowl.

Notes

Feel free to add spices to the chicken before grilling.
Experiment with using boneless chicken breasts, bone-in chicken breast, as well as boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Keep in mind that grilling times will vary.
If you prefer to bake your chicken, that's an easy option. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken on a parchement or foil-lined baking sheet and cook chicken for 1/2 hour or until internal temp is 165 degrees.
Whether you grill or bake the chicken, you can serve it hot or room-temp.
It's easy to double or halve this recipe.