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Bringing you all some springtime vibes with this Lebanese Chicken with Charred Lemon Cauliflower. Grilled (or roasted) Lebanese style chicken, served with a charred lemony cauliflower and herb salad, and the most deliciously addicting garlic yogurt sauce. It doesn’t get more delicious than this grilled chicken…simple, healthy, extra colorful, super flavorful, and so delicious. A fun switch-up from the usual chicken dinner.
And just like that, I’ve really begun to embrace the springtime recipes. We’ve been in quarantine “lockdown” mode for so long now that I’m craving anything fresh and anything different. Yes, I love my pasta and all my 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, because, you guys, it’s definitely spring!
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 actually 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…and we’re avoiding the grocery stores…I figured why not. I love making that kid happy!
The details…start with the chicken!
I want to say that this Lebanese chicken with charred lemon cauliflower. isn’t as hands-off as some of my other recipes, but the extra prep time is worth it. And please do know, this recipe is still so simple. It 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 (always so much 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.
Now, when I say marinate, I really just mean toss the chicken in this mix and let it sit while you get everything else for the bowls together. I’m not sure about you guys, but I can never plan ahead enough to cook a recipe requiring a long marinating time.
It almost never happens…
So, I do a quick marinade. It works.
Moving onto the cauliflower.
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, but yet still leave it with a bit of a bite.
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.
Finish it up and put it all together.
And then finally, the garlic sauce. It’s simple, plain Greek yogurt, lots of 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. It’s all about using what you’ve got on hand. So if fresh herbs aren’t available, use dried…or maybe think about ordering some. I keep mentioning these guys (and this is not sponsored), but here is my go-to source for herbs right now. I am obsessed.
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!
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.
Hey there – I just put this into myfitnesspal ahead of making it for tonight and it has come out at a slightly heftier 487 calories per portion (likely due to the amount of oil in the recipe). Buuuuut…I don’t care! This has all the summery flavours of paprika and lemon and dill that I love and it is totally worth cutting back on lunch cals for! Just put the chicken in to marinate and now dinner can’t come quick enough!
I am really glad you still loved this one, Kirsten! Thank you so much for trying it!! xTieghan
Honestly this recipe was beyond outstanding!!! Had some chicken thighs and a head of cauliflower sitting in the fridge and basically googled “chicken and cauliflower recipe” to use both, talk about a major score!!! We are huge fans of Middle Eastern cuisines and this recipe has earned its place in my recipe database. I couldn’t believe my luck when I read and discovered that I had 95% of the ingredients (only 1 ½ lemons but several limes!). The flavours, once fused together, of the charred cauliflower and the salad were beyond amazing! I had no naan or pita in the house but did have some leftover rice so after grilling my chicken, I made a bit more of the marinade and mixed it in with the rice and a few tablespoons of water and OMG, a full course meal worthy of any 5 star Lebanese restaurant!!!! As mentioned above, I will be making this one again and again! I posted the picture to My Facebook account and every person asked me to post the recipe – a real winner and super simple yet a bit more time to prep but so so worth it!
That is the best when you have all the ingredients! I am so glad you loved this recipe, Carri! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
I just made this recipe and let me tell you that turned out delicious! I have a 5 and a 3 year old and they are everything on their plates . I can’t wait to try another recipe tomorrow night but I have a hard time deciding which one 🙂
Wow that is so great to hear!! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you, Karina! xTieghan
This was SO good and also really easy. The flavors were new but so fresh. My husband didnt want seonds so that he “could enjoy this again another day”! Highly recommend!
Haha the self control!! Love that! Thank you so much for trying this one, Jaclyn! xTieghan
Made this for Memorial Day dinner! We loved it! The flavors were outstanding.
Thank you so much Jeffreyann! xTieghan
This recipe is restaurant quality and so easy to make! A hit with my family. We will make it again soon!
Thank you so much Kara! xTieghan
I just made this in the oven and it was to die for. Honestly the cauliflower cucumber salad was the star of the plate. its light and summery. Not heavy on the tummy… unless you ate two servings like me.
Thank you so much Nichelle! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This is so good. And feels like healthy eating. I didn’t have pumpkin seeds so am sad I didn’t get that in there and made chicken in oven as you said would work – but still a winner.
I honestly am a bit amazed my family ate this. Just all casual, not batting an eye at an unusual combination because I said it was your recipe. They trusted it would be good – and all said it is. What a cool trick!
Really yummy.
Thank you so much Stefanie!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you all! xTieghan
✌️Had this recipe as dinner tonight and it was so, so good!!! We cook a lot of your awesome recipes but this is one of the very best!
Greetings from Munich, Germany
Thank you so much Sibylle! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This is one of my favorite recipes of yours to make! So delicious and satisfying and I don’t have to feel bad after. All your recipes are amazing, thank you!
Thank you Gabby! That is really great to hear! xTieghan
Everything was so delicious! The first thing my husband said is “when we make this again, we gotta have pita!” ? and he also shocked me by saying “not to overshadow the chicken because it’s absolutely fantastic, but the cauliflower steals the show!” Truly couldn’t believe my meat-loving South African husband said these words, but I’m thrilled as I loved it too!! ??
Wow yes!! That is the best when you don’t expect someone to love something that much! Thank you so much for trying this Annie! xTieghan
If you are making a comfort Lebanese recipe, do it the Lebanese way!
Forget the cilantro, instead fresh MINT USE SUMAC!
Not Greek Yogurt, it leaves a bad after taste instead buy plain yogurt ( plain no flavor ) pour it into a strainer with a tea towel put it in the frig to let it drain and you will have real and the best Labany ( one day to a couple of days). You won’t be sorry!
Thank you for this! I am sure some will love these suggestions! xTieghan
Just made this for dinner and it was absolutely delicious. Husband and I both demolished our plates.
I made a couple of changes just based on what I was able to get ahold of and what I had time to do (aka was too lazy to do absolutely everything.
I marinated my chicken for 7 hours – cut it up and made up the marinade while I sorted out lunch, so that it would be well marinated in time for dinner! I wasn’t sure if I’d like the marinade just because of the tomato paste but I was proven so so so wrong. It was so good! You seriously can’t go wrong with a garlicky lemony marinade when it comes to chicken.
I roasted the cauliflower and lemon slices and here’s where my lazy butt made some changes – I basically skipped making the salad, and instead added in some sweet potato to the roasting tray (I’m obsessed with roasted sweet potato and caulliflower). Tossed with OO, paprika, salt, a little bit of cumin, roasted garlic powder and a dash of cumin. I ended up using the charred lemon in the yogurt sauce with a dash of sweet paprika.
Plated the whole thing up with some pita and eeeeh! So good! I really wish I had the pumpkin seeds for the added crunch, but just opted for a dukkah nut mix from Trader Joes and some roughly chopped cilantro!
I’m already looking forward to eating the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Yes yes yes! I am really glad this turned out so amazing for you Shannon!! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
This was so good, easy and quick. Received rave reviews from the family, definitely a keeper. We don’t care for cucumbers, so just left them out. The cauliflower is SO good!! Thank you for the recipe. PS I used Mother’s Day as an excuse to make the carrot cake from your book and my family went CRAZY over it. It is insanely good, I also love the construction. I just had to say.
Thank you so much Denise!! So glad this turned out so well for your Mother’s Day! I hope you continue to love other recipes of mine as well! xTieghan
Made this tonight and everyone loved it! Thank you so much for your creative recipes that taste like restaurant quality (or better lol) during these tough times
Thank you so much Alison! I am really glad you enjoyed this recipe and I hope you continue to enjoy others! xTieghan