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Za’atar Chicken Cutlets and Lemon-Parsley Salad
Our search for ways to spice up weeknight chicken took us to the Middle East where za’atar is a popular seasoning blend that often includes sesame seeds, sumac, thyme, oregano, marjoram and salt. We were influenced by Ana Sortun, who often uses za’atar at her Oleana restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She calls za’atar “craveable” and jokes, “I can imagine it as the next Doritos flavor.” Her recipe for crispy lemon chicken with za’atar calls for making a lemon confit and stuffing it under the skin of whole halves of deboned chicken along with cubes of butter. We took a simpler tack and coated chicken cutlets in a flour-za’atar mixture. We also used lemon zest and juice in our sauce along with tart and smoky Aleppo pepper, which has a fruity, moderate heat. If you can’t find Aleppo pepper, sweet paprika is a decent substitute, but add a pinch of cayenne for a touch of heat.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t substitute chicken breasts here without pounding the meat first. Boneless, skinless chicken cutlets were ideal for fast cooking and are widely available at grocers. If you only have chicken breasts, use a meat mallet or heavy skillet to flatten them to an even ¼ inch.
30 minutes
Ingredients
-
1½
pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (4 cutlets), pounded to ¼-inch thickness
-
Kosher salt
Directions
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01Season the chicken all over with 1½ teaspoons of salt. In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup of the za’atar, the flour and pepper; pour into a wide, shallow dish. In a 12-inch stainless-steel skillet over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering. One cutlet at a time, transfer the chicken to the za'atar mixture, coating and pressing all sides. Add the cutlets to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until well browned. Transfer to a platter.
Reviews
October 5, 2025
Fabulous recipe!
This is a quick and easy recipe and packs a lot of flavor. I highly recommend it. It is in my regular rotation. Love it!
August 10, 2023
surprising easy, and really fantastic!
I substituted boneless/skinless thighs. This is a really delightful dish, got big raves from the family. After a modest amount of prep it all comes together very quickly, so have your sides ready!
July 4, 2023
Great chicken dish
I love this dish! This is on my regular rotation. I discovered Za'tar and pomegranate molasses making this. The parsley salad is too small and so I had to double it for two people. For four people, you would need to double it again. I really don't eat out that much anymore, because Milk Street recipes are better than what I can get from most restaurants, short of really fine dining restaurants and that's big bucks. Thanks, Milk Street, for making me a better cook!
This was delicious. I used Milk Street's za'atar blend and it was very flavourful. My guess is that if other find it bland, it may be a problem with the spice blend (either not fresh enough, or not a great mix). I did think the parsley amount looked like a typo, so I just used a whole bunch, and adjusted for that. I didn't use the full amount of pomegranate molasses and it was more than enough. Next time, I will also add a side of rice. Definitely will make again.
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The chicken by itself was bland. It shouldn't have been given the ingredients. Curiously small amount of parsley salad, certainly not enough for four servings. Luckily we had another bright tasting green salad at the table to compensate.