Arabic Chicken With Lemon & Thyme

winkki's Note:

Our favorite recipe from our favorite Syrian-Lebanese cookbook, "Foods from Biblical Lands."The actual name is Djaj ma' limoon wa za' tar, but the kids call it "Arabic Chicken" and ask for it frequently. Save the leftover cooking juices to put over rice, potatoes, etc. (Actually, we use the marinade on potatoes, zukes, green beans..whatever we have and can throw in the oven). It's one of my standard potluck dishes and always gets raves (I use smaller chunks of chicken when cooking and then layer it over a 9x13 pan of rice pilaf for an easy self-serve dish). Also works to use packages of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (be careful not to overcook!). I've even been pressed for time and not broiled it and liked it just as much, or used it as marinade for grilled chicken...hard to mess this one up!

• Total Time: 2 hrs 25 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 (4 lb) broiler-fryer chickens , in pieces
• ½-¾ cup salad oil (I use half canola & half olive)
• 2⁄3; cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients (but chicken) for marinade.
2. Marinade chicken at least an hour (up to overnight).
3. Place chicken in baking dish.
4. Bake 1 hr at 350, then broil 15 min or until golden brown.

Reviews

[LARavenscroft]

Made for I Recommend Tag. This was excellent. We loved the combination of lemon and thyme with the chicken. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs (that's our favorite) and as one other reviewer suggested, added more garlic (we love garlic). Thanks for posing this!

[loof]

This is a good basic chicken marinade! I used boneless skinless breasts, marinated for about 7 hours, then grilled and the chicken came out very moist. The thyme and lemon paired well together but I think I'll use more garlic next time. Thanks for posting your recipe!

[Dixie Vader]

The day I made this I had a cold and couldn't taste anything, but everyone thought it was great! I used 8 split chicken breasts and halved the marinade recipe. I then baked them on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes then broiled them on lo for 10 minutes. It tasted even better the next day on sandwiches with mayo and provolone cheese. Will definately make again!