Sumac is a dark reddish to purplish spice made from drying and grinding the small fruit of a variety of sumac plant (rhus coriaria) native to Southern Europe. It is used extensively in Middle Eastern cooking, notably as one of the key ingredients in za’atar, along with toasted sesame seeds, dried thyme, marjoram or oregano, and salt. Sumac has a wonderful tangy flavour that can brighten the taste of a dish in much the same way that the rich burgundy colour enhances its visual appeal.
I’d successfully used sumac in salads, and in vegetable and seafood dishes, and wanted to experiment pairing it with meat. At the butcher’s, I settled on some pasture-raised chicken thighs. Chicken is not my favourite meat, but it happens to be the favourite of a great many others, including the particular individual I was cooking this meal for.
I also very much wanted to experiment with using shio koji as a meat tenderizer. So I prepared the marinade as soon as I arrived home from the butcher’s, in order to give a full 24 hours for the Japanese ferment to work its enzymatic magic on my meat. I have to say, I was impressed with the results! This was possibly the most tender and flavourful chicken I had ever eaten, a far cry from the bland and dry chicken breasts that I remember despising as a child (and am not too fond of even today). I liked the dish so much that, despite my usual dismissal of chicken, I made it again a few weeks later for a friend.
Dry Ingredients for the marinade
Erroneously anticipating the chicken to be bland and dry, I also created a little yogurt sauce with tahini and carrot tops. The sauce was delicious, but perhaps a tad unnecessary given that the chicken dish tasted so well on its own.
So, whether you love chicken, or regard with indifference as I do, give this dish a chance! You won’t be disappointed.
Joëlle
Serves 2-3
Tenderized overnight with shio koji and flavoured with an array of Middles Eastern spices and herbs, these oven-braised chicken thighs are tender, rich and tangy. 100% dinner party-approved!
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Ingredients
- 4-6 chicken thighs
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup bone broth (I used my homemade bison broth)
- 1 tbsp sumac
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp shio koji (see notes)
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- Black pepper
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup carrot tops
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 garlic cloves
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice of half a lemon
- 2 tbsp shio koji
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- Handful walnuts
- Parsley and cilantro leaves
Instructions
- In a glass container, add the marinade ingredients and the chicken thighs and mix thoroughly. I used a 4-cup pyrex container with a glass and silicone lid, and it was a perfect snug fit. Leave the chicken to marinate in the fridge overnight, to give the shio koji a chance to work its magic.
- To prepare the yogurt sauce, put all the ingredients in a blender and whiz until the carrot tops are fully liquefied and blended with the other ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary, and store in the fridge until mealtime. I recommend making the sauce a day in advance as well to allow for the flavours to develop.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Transfer the chicken and marinade to an oven-safe lidded dish, and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- While the chicken is in the oven, prepare the garnishes. Toast sesame seeds over medium heat until fragrant, and grind them to a coarse powder with a mortar and pestle. Next, toast walnuts on the same pan, and coarsely chop them. Chop some parsley and cilantro leaves.
- When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and serve, sprinkled with ground sesame seeds, walnut pieces and chopped herbs.
Notes
Shio koji (塩麹) is a lacto-fermented mixture of rice koji (rice inoculated with aspergillus oryzae spore -- the basis for many well-know Japanese ferments such as miso, sake and soy sauce). It provides enzymes and probiotics while imparting the dish with a unique umami flavour. You can substitute sea salt, himalayan salt or fish sauce. To learn more about shio koji, how to make it at home, and how to use it in the kitchen, click here.
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Inspiration
Ottolenghi, Y., Tamimi, S., & Wigley, T. (2016). Ottolenghi: The cookbook. London: Ebury Press.
