Za'atar Breaded Chicken Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish (2024)

Ingredients

Scale

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb to 1.25 lb in total)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbspghee
• 3 to 4 tablespoon Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil

For Breading

• ½ to ¾ cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour, if you prefer)
• 2 eggs whisked with 2 tablespoon water (egg wash)
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoon plain bread crumbs
• ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
• 3 tbsp heaping za'atar spice
• 1 tsp garlic powder

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1. Prepare the tahini sauce according to this recipe and the salad of your choice and set aside for now.
2. Place chicken breast on a cutting board. Hold it flat with the palm of your left hand (non dominant hand), and using a sharp chef's knife, carefully slice in half horizontally into two pieces. Do the same with the second chicken breast. You should end up with 4 cutlets at this point. (note, you can leave the chicken cutlets this size, or portion them to make 6 or 8 pieces in total. When pounded, they will expand.)
3. Using a meat tenderizer (a kitchen hammer like this one), pound the chicken cutlets until thin.
4. Pat chicken cutlets dry, and season well with salt and pepper on both sides.
5. Prepare a dredging station. Place the flour and egg wash each in a shallow bowl. And in a third shallow bowl, placed on the other side of the egg wash, mix together the bread crumbs, sesame seeds, za'atar and garlic powder.
6. Dredge each chicken cutlet first in the flour, then the egg wash, and finally in the bread crumb and za'atar mixture. Place prepared cutlets on a large tray for now.
7. In a large 12-inch cast iron skillet, over medium heat, heat the ghee and olive oil (you want about ¼ inch of the ghee and oil mixture in the skillet). When ghee/olive oil mixture is shimmering, add the breaded . Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. If needed, do this in batches, do not crowd the skillet. Place cooked cutlets on a large tray lined with paper towel very briefly to drain any excess oil.
8. Serve hot with tahini sauce and your choice of Mediterranean salad or balela salad.

• Recipe adapted from Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking.
• Recommended for this recipe!All-Natural Za'atar Spice Blend and our Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives).
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