Tahini & Garlic Crusted Roast Chicken

20190630_225142 I eat tahini straight from the jar. I don’t have a problem, unless you tell on me. Please don’t tell on me.

20190630_224423 (All links open a new page, so you won’t lose your spot when you look around! Get information on gardening and cultural traditions, recipes, stories, and more!)

Tahini is ground up sesame seeds and has a texture like a thin peanut butter. To me, the flavor is reminiscent of peanut butter, but not quite. It’s also what gives hummus (which isn’t Greek, by the way) it’s wonderful flavor.

20190630_224524 In this dish, tahini is mixed with the golden elixir of extra virgin olive oil, heavily accented with garlic and Greek oregano, then slathered over chicken pieces. The end result is a crisp crust of deliciousness on top of juicy and tender meat that will be sitting in the most divine broth at the bottom of the pan, just waiting to be poured over your meal. The Medium Boy forgave me for making him peel the garlic cloves for me, so it must be good, right?

20190630_224639

Tahini & Garlic Crusted Roast Chicken Recipe

Difficulty: easier than keeping me out of the tahini jar
Print

Ingredients

4 – 5 lbs. chicken pieces, bone in and skin on
1/4 cup tahini
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. packed dried oregano, Greek preferred
1 – 2 Tbsp. mashed garlic, depending on taste
1/2 cup dry white wine (like cheap Chablis)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Put the tahini in a small bowl. Add the olive oil, salt, and oregano and mix together. Finely chop the garlic. If you have a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic until it is mush, otherwise continue to chop it until it is super fine pieces. Add the garlic to the tahini mixture and combine.

Place the pieces of chicken, skin-side up, into a pan just large enough to hold them. Rub each piece with a little drizzle of olive oil, then evenly distribute the tahini mixture over each piece and smooth over the skin. Pour the white wine into the pan, but do not pour on the chicken or it will wash off the seasoning. Tilt the pan to distribute the wine around the bottom. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the juices in the chicken are no longer pink. There will be a good amount of broth in the bottom of the pan that will be perfect drizzled over the chicken, vegetables, or a side of rice or pasta.

Any juices leftover from this dish can be used in place of some of the water for making tasty rice or replace some of the broth used in soups for an added boost of flavor, so don’t toss it! You can store it in the freezer with other leftover juices until you’re ready to use it. And don’t forget to save any leftover bones in the freezer for making broth!