As always, there’s a printable version of the recipe below.
Sometimes I mess up making the easiest meals in the world. Pancakes, for instance. I flip them too early, so the uncooked batter slops over, destroying the perfect round, or too late, when the underside has gone from appealingly golden to bitter browned.
(Also, why is it so hard to flip round things in a round skillet?)
I’ve never been diagnosed with ADHD, but cooking pancakes makes me wonder if I have a mild version. I find the cooking and flipping monotonous to the point of boring, so I don’t pay attention and mess up.
Last week, I screwed up a quesadilla. Yes, a quesadilla! The one thing we all knew how to make in college.
This wasn’t a slap-together-something-quick quesadilla with pre-shredded cheese. Frankly, that might have been tastier. No, I had a specific craving for this one and bought ingredients to make it.
I layered in queso Oaxaca, that wonderfully creamy melting cheese that’s a bit like a low-moisture mozzarella, and added some zucchini rounds I had seared until they had golden browned crowns.
In my mind, this would be delicious, with the sear on the zucchini bringing a craveable umami factor to the whole thing.
But no.
I cut the zucchini too thick so it held open the quesadilla, and the molten cheese dripped out all over the place. The bites with zucchini tasted bland and watery despite using what I felt was enough salt.
The cheese, while lovely in texture, is also very mild in flavor. With the zucchini, it was an underseasoned mess.
Plus, I neglected to oil the skillet before cooking the quesadilla, so the corn tortilla became dry and tough. Zero stars. Would not recommend.
Frustrated at my failure of a lunch, I decided to take it easy at dinner. (Easier than a quesadilla? I know.) I turned to the dish I make when I don’t know what else to cook: Boneless chicken thighs rubbed with za’atar, the Middle Eastern spice blend named for its main herb, a variety of oregano. The mix usually includes dried ground sumac (the tart berry) and sesame seeds as well.
You can make your own, but good quality pre-made versions are easy enough to come by. I like the one from NY Shuk.
I put a peach and tomato salad alongside, which is always on repeat this time of year.
While enjoying the combination of the pleasingly bitter toasted sesame seeds and herbs against the juicy-sweet salad, I realized I hadn’t shared a recipe yet that includes za’atar chicken. What? How can that be when I make it a few times a month?
It’s just two ingredients, plus salt. The salad has three, or four, if you count the olive oil.
Dinner can really be this simple. And it’s ok to make things on repeat.
(I’m telling myself this as much as I’m telling you.)
Za’atar Chicken with Tomato-Peach Salad
Serves 4
The tomato-peach salad is literally just that, with a little bit of basil, olive oil, and salt. There are a zillion ways to zhuzh it up (and you’ll find them in the bonus points section), but I also think it tastes complete this way. In fact, my husband said, “I wouldn’t add anything else when the ingredients are so good. It would be distracting.”
If you want to use a good quality olive oil for the salad (one you wouldn’t cook with), it will be all the better.
4 teaspoons za’atar
Fine sea salt
8 boneless-skinless chicken thighs
3 medium ripe but sliceable peaches
2 large or 3 medium tomatoes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Flaky sea salt
One small handful basil leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
Season the chicken
Check your za’atar blend to see if it includes salt. If it does, taste it to see how salty it seems. (If you don’t want to taste it straight, you could dip a piece of bread or cucumber into it.)
In a small bowl, toss the za’atar with salt so it tastes well-seasoned. (With the NY Shuk za’atar, I like 1 to 1 ¼ teaspoons salt for this recipe.)
In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the seasoning blend and let hang out while you make the salad.
Start the salad
Cut the tomato and peaches into even-sized wedges or chunks. Put them in a bowl together and ever so gently stir them with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Cook the chicken
In a large, heavy skillet (such as cast iron), heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat, making sure to coat the bottom of the skillet with the oil.
Add half the chicken and cook until nicely golden brown on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until the chicken is browned on the other side and cooked through on the inside (it will be lightly tan instead of pink), about 4 minutes longer. (Reduce the heat at any time to medium if the sesame seeds threaten to burn.)
Transfer the chicken to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Finish the salad and serve
Sprinkle a few pinches of flaky salt over the tomatoes and peaches. Add the basil leaves, tearing up any large ones. Season with a little black pepper if desired, and serve right away with the chicken.
The short version
Season your za’atar blend with salt, then rub all over the chicken.
Cut the tomatoes and peaches how you like and gently toss them together with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Cook the chicken in 1 tablespoon olive oil until golden and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
Add a few pinches of flaky salt and basil to the tomatoes and peaches and serve with the chicken.
Fun for kids
Mix together the salt and za’atar.
Use a kid-friendly knife to cut peaches and tomatoes.
Mix together the peaches and tomatoes.
Tear the basil leaves and sprinkle with flaky salt.
Swaps
Instead of basil, use mint, cilantro, or chives.
Instead of boneless chicken thighs, you can use thin-cut boneless (skinless or skin-on) chicken breasts, but I find the flavor of the za’atar with the richer dark meat more satisfying. (Also, you might need to adjust the cooking time.)
Instead of cooking the chicken in a pan, you can grill it. Use medium to medium-high heat and the cooking time will be about the same.
Bonus points
For some crunch, add chopped cucumbers or roughly chopped nuts, like pistachios, to the salad.
Add a salty cheese, like feta, to the salad.
Add a tiny bit of rice vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, or lemon juice in the salad if you want to punch up the acidity.
To bulk this all out, serve with couscous, orzo, or brown rice, tossed with herbs and olive oil.