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Hit the reset button with this refreshing (and easy!) Sheet Pan Chicken With Za’atar on Naan.
I hate New Years Eve.
I don’t want to sound like a grump—I love the holidays! But New Years Eve makes me groaaaan. Trying to fit into a sparkly dress after three weeks of engorging on cheese and cookies is an act of self-sabotage. Then there’s the yelling of the countdown followed by drunken hugs and phony well-wishes from people at the party you’ve never even met. And let’s not forget co-workers thinking they’re clever when they drop lines like, “See you next year!” Hyuck hyuck.
That whole paragraph probably makes me sound like an a-hole; I swear I’m not. Give me the Hanson Christmas CD in November, put me in an ugly Christmas sweater, and give me Christmas morning mimosas at 8am. I’m ready to be festive! There’s just something about New Year’s Eve that makes me roll my eyes into another dimension…
Needless to say, we spent our evening in pajama pants eating takeout Chinese, playing old school video games, and it was a dream.
But I do love a new start.
One thing I do love about the new year is that feeling of starting fresh and setting new goals—which makes a lot of other people groan, so I guess it all balances out ;)
Do you have any resolutions in place for 2019? I have some pretty determined goals, both personal and for this space. On a personal level, I’d like to continue supporting cruelty-free brands where I can while also kicking the use of plastic in this house. I just bought some awesome silicone food storage bags and I’m *really* excited to put them to use. (Peace out, plastic baggies!)
As for here on the blog, I want to turn to more cookbooks for inspiration and less Websites. I’ve already cracked the spines of my new cookbooks and have found some insight in Melissa Clark’s “Dinner: Changing the Game“.
In her introduction, something resonated with me. She touches on the fact that when we go out for dinner these days, we often order several small plates and mix things up to get what we really want out of a meal. Yet at home, it’s ingrained in us to create dinners that comprise a protein, a veg, and a starch. All in their own separate corners of the plate. This obviously makes cooking dinner a chore because it completely ignores the evolution of our food culture. (We just don’t eat that way anymore!) As a result, many of us find ourselves stuck between what we believe we should eat and what we actually want to eat.
This year, I want to help you (and myself!) cook the latter.
And what better way to kick things off than with a simple sheet pan chicken dinner toppled over soft pillowy naan.
Sheet Pan Chicken With Za’atar on Naan.
You’re still getting your protein, veg, and starch with this one, but in a much more fun and attractive way. Naan bread is smothered with creamy hummus, then topped with lemony salad greens, chopped za’atar-seasoned chicken, toasted pine nuts, and sweet bursting pomegranate arils.
Pine nuts are pricey, so if part of your new year’s resolution is to not spend money frivolously, you can use walnuts or almonds. They don’t offer the same deep, rich, and earthy flavor, but they’ll do the trick. You do you.
Pomegranate arils can usually be found in the produce section of your local supermarket. If you can’t find them and don’t have access to an actual pomegranate, cutting up some red or green grapes might work. I haven’t tried it, but that burst of sweetness from the pomegranate arils is a MUST. So if you can’t find them, try to find its equal :)
If you make this dish, snap a photo and tag me on the Insta @killing__thyme! I love seeing your creations, and you could be featured in my monthly newsletter <3
Sheet Pan Chicken With Za'atar on Naan
Ingredients
Sheet Pan Chicken.
- 1-1.5 lbs chicken breast (2 large or 4 smaller)
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 TBSP lemon zest
- Juice of half a lemon (reserve the other half)
- 2 TBSP za'atar
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed then sliced
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt and cracked black pepper
Naan + Toppings.
- 2 pieces of naan
- 1/2 cup hummus* (see notes for my homemade hummus)
- 2 handfuls of mixed salad greens
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 3 TBSP pomegranate arils
- 2 TBSP freshly chopped parsley
Instructions
Sheet Pan Chicken.
- Preheat the oven to 375º F.
- Place the chicken breasts in a large bowl with the sliced onions and drizzle with olive oil. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, za'atar, paprika, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. With bare clean hands, toss the chicken and rub the oil and herbs into the chicken until evenly coated. Transfer the chicken breasts and onions to a sheet pan and drizzle any leftover liquids from the bowl over the chicken. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through with an internal temperature of 165º F.
- While the chicken is baking, prepare your naan and pine nuts. Spread hummus over each naan, then top with a handful of salad greens. Cut the reserve lemon half into wedges and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the greens.
- Place your pine nuts into a dry pan over medium-low heat. Give the pan a shake and toss the pine nuts every few minutes to prevent burning. Once the pine nuts are golden brown and aromatic, remove from heat and set aside.
- Once the chicken is done, remove from oven. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and roughly chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Place the chicken into a bowl along with the pine nuts, pomegranate arils, and chopped parsley. Give it all a good mix, then top each naan with a generous amount of the chicken mixture.
- Serve, and enjoy! (This dish is great when the chicken is hot out of the oven, lukewarm, or even cold. If it's summer and you want to turn this into a more refreshing and cooling dinner, cook the chicken in advance and refrigerate it for a few hours before mixing it with the pine nuts, pomegranate, and parsley. Then top the naans whenever you're ready.)
Excellent