Baked Garlic Chicken (Mehezabin and Shraddha)

 

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 4 lbs of chicken legs/quarters/breasts
• 5 medium potatoes
• 20 cloves of garlic (or 1.5 heads)
• 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 table spoons of olive oil
• salt to taste
• A pinch of Lebanese 7-spices
• Vinegar (optional)

Baked Garlic Chicken Preparation Method

1. Soak chicken in vinegar for 2 minutes (to help remove the “chickeny” smell), rinse them well with cold water then dry them with paper towels.
2. Make cuts in chicken in order to allow for garlic sauce to seep deep inside.
3. Rub chicken with a table spoon or two of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of Lebanese 7-spices.
4. Peel potatoes then cut them in disks of about 1/2 inch, salt lightly.
5. Place chicken on bottom of baking tray (preferably metal), place potatoes on top, and bake at 400F (medium heat) for about 40-50 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.
6. Meanwhile place the garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2-3 table spoons of olive oil in a blender/food processor and spin for 4-5 minutes, add the lemon juice and spin for another 4-5 minutes until you have a nice lemony-garlicky sauce.
7. Once the chicken has baked, take the tray out of the oven and very carefully drain any excess liquids/fat/water that you see on the bottom.
8. Pour the garlic sauce all over it while mixing it well with the potatoes, put back in the oven and  broil for another 5-10 minutes until the potatoes turn reddish
9. Serve warm.
10. Note: You may need to consume an unusually large quantity of toothpaste afterwards.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)Cooking time: 1 hour(s) 5 minute(s)Number of servings (yield): 4

Copyright © Mama’s Lebanese Kitchen.

 

Shwarma For Tony Stark :D (Mehezabin and Shraddha)

 

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs of thinly cut skinless boneless chicken breast
• ½ cup of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce
• 4 tablespoons of plain (Greek) yogurt
• 3 tablespoons of white vinegar
• 1 head of garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of salt (or to taste)
• ½ teaspoon of ground oregano (or thyme)
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• ½ teaspoon of ginger powder (optional)
• A pinch of nutmeg powder

Instructions

1. Rinse the boneless chicken breasts with fresh cold water then cut horizontally into thinner cuts of about ½ inch (each breast could possibly be split into 2 slices depending on thickness).
2. Mix all ingredients in a blender, add to a bowl and mix well with the chicken, cover and let marinate in the fridge overnight.
3. When ready, grill the marinated chicken using a panini/George Forman grill for about 15 minutes on medium heat. You can also cook the chicken on a BBQ grill if so you wish.
4. Once cooked, shred the chicken thinly as in the photo and it’s now ready to be wrapped into a Shawarma Sandwich. Spread the chicken shreds along the diameter of a pita bread, spread a bit of Lebanese Garlic paste, add some salty cucumber pickles, some French fries, and some grilled tomatoes, roll and enjoy.

Notes

Try marinating a mix of 75% chicken breast and 25% skinless boneless chicken thighs. The fat in the thighs gives the chicken a nice kick when grilled. Add grilled tomatoes in the sandwich instead of raw tomatoes Some restaurants add french fries in the sandwich, others add a cabbage/mayo salad to the sandwich. Baking or broiling in the oven will rid the chicken of its juice and must be avoided if possible. We found that using a panini grill cooks faster and keeps the moisture inside the chicken You can find salty middle eastern cucumber pickles from Middle Eastern grocery stores.