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All the bright, cozy flavors we crave: garlicky, lemony Lebanese-style chicken with flavorful spices and charred cauliflower. It’s tender, super juicy, and works on the grill, in a hot skillet, or roasted on a sheet pan. Keep it weeknight-easy with simple sides, or make a little feast with pita, crunchy salad, and a creamy sauce for dipping. Simple, healthy, and extra colorful!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Big flavor from pantry spices + plenty of lemon and garlic.
- Flexible cooking methods (grill, oven, skillet) and cuts (thighs, breasts, or skewers).
- Meal-prep friendly; leftovers are great in bowls, wraps, and salads.
The story behind this recipe
I’m all for embracing springtime recipes. We’ve been in quarantine “lockdown” mode for so long now that I’m craving anything fresh and different. Yes, I love my pasta and cheesy comfort food recipes, but some nights need to be different. And let’s be real, it might not feel like spring here, but we’re in the last week of April. I sure hope it feels more like spring where you are!
So springtime eats it is. This means herbs (fresh or dried) on just about everything, and strawberries for dessert.
Enter this chicken. It’s my favorite recipe of the week. Inspired by Lebanese Shish Tawook (grilled chicken skewers) and my eldest brother’s love for Persian cuisine. I view this recipe as street food, but a bit healthier, and much more colorful too.
Honestly, we can’t get enough of this recipe. I’ve served this dish two nights in a row. My brother Creighton, who has been quarantined here with us in Colorado, is obsessed. He said it beats out his favorite Cleveland Lebanese “street food” spots. If you know Creighton, then you know this means the recipe is GOOD. And since I had all the ingredients in the fridge…I figured why not. I love making that kid happy!
Step by Step Instructions
This isn’t as hands-off as some of my other recipes, but the extra prep time is worth it. It’s simple and comes together in under an hour using a good mix of pantry, fridge, and freezer staples.
- Start with the chicken. I marinate the chicken in quite possibly one of my favorite marinades. It’s a combination of olive oil, tomato paste, smoked paprika, plenty of garlic, and lots of lemon. If you’re familiar with Lebanese style chicken, this is the more traditional marinade for Lebanese Shish Tawook, grilled chicken skewers. It’s simple yet delicious. The tomato paste, garlic, and lemon are key.
2. Moving on to the cauliflower and herb sauce. While the chicken “marinates” roast the cauliflower. Find yourself a good sheet pan and toss the cauliflower with some olive oil, lemons, and salt. Roast this mix at a high heat to char the cauliflower.
As the cauliflower roasts, make the herb sauce for the cauliflower. This sauce is extra special. Its main two ingredients are the roasted lemon slices and herbs. You use not only the lemon juice, but the lemon rind as well. Yes, I’m about to tell you to chop up the WHOLE lemon, rind and all, and add it to your herb sauce. I know this seems odd, but roasting the lemon removes any bitterness and makes them extra sweet and tangy. Once the lemon is finely chopped and stirred together with the olive oil and herbs it becomes vibrant and incredible! The perfect marriage of flavors to coat the cauliflower.
For the herbs, I love to use a mix of tender herbs such as parsley, cilantro, and dill. But you can use a mix of whatever you have on hand, fresh or dried.
Once the cauliflower comes out of the oven, toss it with the sauce, then add the cucumbers and toasted pumpkin seeds. And that’s the cauliflower. It’s basically a charred lemon cauliflower and herb salad, and it’s delicious.
Make the garlic sauce and prepare to serve
3. Finally, the garlic sauce. Plain Greek yogurt, lemon, grated garlic, and salt.
Once the cauliflower is tossed together and the garlic sauce is made, grill or roast the chicken and put it all together. I served the cauliflower and chicken with fresh naan and homemade fries. I used homemade naan, but feel free to use your favorite store-bought pita or flatbread.
I then added a very generous amount of that garlic sauce, fresh herbs, and a few extra slices of lemons to top the dish off.
Super pretty, on the (very) healthy side, and so very delicious.
Substitutions, suggestions, and ideas.
- You can use all pantry staples or a mix of pantry staples and fresh ingredients. So if fresh herbs aren’t available, use dried.
- No yogurt? Try sour cream or mayo.
- And if you don’t have cauliflower? Try broccoli, carrots, or beets. Any heartier vegetable that roasts up nicely will work well.
The ingredients that you need most…chicken, olive oil, lemons, garlic, spices, and dried herbs. If you’ve got these you can make your version of this recipe. And yes, it’s going to be great.
Sooo, how about a Lebanese street food style inspired dinner tonight? Promise it is going to be good! It doesn’t get more delicious than this grilled chicken…simple, healthy, extra colorful, super flavorful, and so delicious.
Is this an authentic Lebanese recipe?
Call it Lebanese-inspired unless you’re following a specific traditional method/7-spice blend. The flavors lean Lebanese; the technique can vary by home.
What cut of chicken works best?
Thighs are the most forgiving and juicy. Breasts work too—pound to even thickness and watch closely so they don’t overcook.
How long should I marinate?
At least 30 minutes helps; a few hours is better. If your marinade is very citrus-forward (no yogurt), avoid marinating much beyond ~8–12 hours to keep the texture tender, not mealy.
Grill, oven, or skillet?
All work well. Use high heat for color, then cook to 165°F internal. For sheet-pan cooking, avoid crowding so everything browns instead of steaming.
Lastly, if you make this Lebanese chicken with charred lemon cauliflower, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Lebanese Chicken with Charred Lemon Cauliflower.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1236 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 6 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
Cauliflower and Garlic Yogurt
- 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lemons, 1 quartered, 1 juiced
- 1 cup fresh parsley, cilantro, and or dill, chopped (I use a mix)
- 1/2 cup green olives, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds and/or sunflower seeds
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1-2 cloves garlic, grated
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, combine the olive oil, tomato paste, paprika, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, crushed red pepper, and a large pinch of salt. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate for 15 minutes or up to overnight in the fridge.2. Meanwhile, make the cauliflower. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the cauliflower, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Arrange the lemons around the cauliflower. Transfer to the oven and roast for 10-15 minutes, or until tender and charred.3. Remove the charred lemon slices from the baking sheet. Finely chop the lemons, rind and all, discarding any of the seeds. Add half of the chopped lemon to a salad bowl. Add the parsley/cilantro, olives, red wine vinegar, and remaining 1/3 cup olive oil. Season with salt and crushed red pepper flakes. Add the cauliflower, cucumbers, and seeds, and toss well.4. To make the yogurt, combine the yogurt, grated garlic, and 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice. Season with salt. Taste, adding more of the lemon as desired.5. Set your grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium-high heat. Take skewers and thread the chicken pieces on. Grill the skewers until lightly charred and cooked through, turning them occasionally throughout cooking, about 10 to 12 minutes total. Alternately, you can roast the chicken at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes.6. To serve, spread the yogurt sauce onto plates. Add the cauliflower salad and chicken. Top with fresh herbs and serve with naan. Enjoy!
Notes
Herbs: if fresh herbs are not available, use 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1 tablespoon dried coriander, and 1 tablespoon dried dill.
This post was originally published on April 23, 2020
This was so delicious! Adding to one of my favourites!!
Thank you so much Katie! xTieghan
This recipe was another winner… I didn’t have olives so I chopped up some pickled jalapeños instead (we like this spicy over here). Thanks for this gem 🙂
Thank you so much Seema! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was so good. That chicken marinade is DIVINE.
Thank you so much Catherine! xTieghan
Hey! Do you think it would work if I roasted it in the oven with slices of onion and red pepper on the skewers as well as the chicken or would that be a weird mix with the lemon? I’m making Afghan Boulani this week and was planning to do a chicken skewer, and this sounds like it would be perfect!
Hi Janelle,
I think that would be totally fine to do! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
My family loved this! Will definitely make again.
Thank you so much Alyssa! xTieghan
This recipe was so easy to prepare and yet yielded a very complex flavor profile. Delicious. I could enjoy the cauliflower salad alone just for dinner. Great recipe.
Thank you so much!! I am glad this turned out so well for you!! xTieghan
Made this tonight and it was so good. The cauliflower is amazing. In order to get the chicken charred it got a little dried out. Next time I will use thighs and marinate overnight. I could probably eat the cauliflower every day for the rest of my life, it is so fresh and flavorful. We also made the Blueberry Lemon Smash cocktails, I rolled the extra roasted lemon in the leftover thyme lemon sugar which made a nice treat. Delicious spring meal.
Thank you so much Cheryl! I am glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was so good. Love all the complex flavors. There was no white meat at the grocery (covid) so I had thighs.
Great! I am glad this turned out so well for you, Shannon! xTieghan
SO GOOD! I didn’t have chicken breast on hand, so spatchcocked a whole chicken and cooked on the Traeger. I left mine to marinade for 6 hours. Really tasty and juicy. I paired with the roasted cauliflower and chickpea salad. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you Karen! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Just finished this dish and it got rave reviews from my three boys and husband. It was delish! I particularly loved the cauliflower salad. When the boys sang the meals praises, I said it’s from my Colorado girl. My boys all follow Red and his crazy shenanigans and know that I follow you. Thanks for inspiration and soul nourishing during our lock down. Maybe in the near future, I can make it for some friends but until then… my family will happily do a take two on this recipe. Stay safe.
Nancy
Aw that is so amazing to hear! I am so glad you all loved this recipe, Nancy! I hope you continue to enjoy this and others of mine! xTieghan
During the entire sheltering at home, I haven’t wanted to actually make a real meal that wasn’t a salad kit or that I could microwave. I saw this recipe on your IG stories and HAD to make it. My neighbors were so jealous of the wonderful smells coming from the outdoor grill. I used skinless chicken thighs and they turned out sooooo flavorful. I made the cucumber and cauliflower salad and even tried making naan for the first time. My naan was a bit doughy, I think I needed to roll it thinner. Thank you for inspiring me to start cooking ❤️
Haha yes!! I am so glad you tried this and it turned out so well for you! Thank you Ali! xTieghan
Oh man. Made this tonight, and served it with your homemade garlic naan bread. We kind of used the naan to wrap it all up, and eat it almost like a pita. This was one of the best things I’ve made in a long time. That chicken. And sauce. And the cauliflower. And the naan . ???. Just perfect!!!
Yes!! So glad this one turned out so well for you, Kristen! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Hi I’m planning on making this tonight or tomorrow and I can’t wait! I just realize we’re out of tomato paste- any good replacements? I saw that we have red curry paste- could be interesting? Let me know what you think!
Hi Catherine,
I haven’t tried that but you certainly could, it would definitely add some extra flavor. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This recipe was great. The chicken was so flavorful. We ended up making a tahini yogurt sauce with it because we had some on hand. Instead of cauliflower(my husband and son don’t like it), we made farro with cilantro, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, and sliced mixed olives. Definitely a keeper.
Thank you so much Lauren! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
Hey Tieghan,
This looks fantastic and I’d love to make it. I don’t like Cauliflower at all any suggestion what to use as a replacement for the sauce?? I know I’ve told you before but your recipes inspire me more then anyone I’ve seen. I am working on my cooking business and its your recipes I use when making food for people. When I worked in my last catering kitchen I sang your praises everyday. I told them they should incorporate your recipes into what they offer their clients. You take every recipe and elevate into something amazingly delicious. Many other blogs and chefs I’ve seen don’t have this talent. Thanks for the continued amazing recipes.you’re the best!! I’m glad I found your blog and look forward to meeting you one day.:)
Hi Mike! I am so glad you like this one! You can sub broccoli or another root vegetable for the cauliflower! Also, you are so kind! I am glad you enjoy my blog and I hope you continue to! xTieghan