Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken - Al Aseel copycat

Name: Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken - Al Aseel copycat
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients: 500g/ 1lb chicken tenderloin (or breast), cut into 4cm / 1.5" squares, large vein cut out (Note 1); 4 tbsp Greek or plain yogurt; 3 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp garlic (, finely grated or crushed using garlic press (~4 big cloves); 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (1/2 tsp table salt, 1 1/4 tsp flakes); 1 cup Greek or plain yogurt (, full fat essential here!); 3/4 tsp garlic (, finely grated or crushed using garlic press (~1 clove); 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp tahini (hulled), or extra 1 tbsp olive oil (Note 3); 1 tbsp+ water; 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (1/2 tsp table salt, 1 1/4 tsp flakes); 2 tbsp olive oil (, for cooking); 1 tsp parsley (, roughly chopped (or equal amounts mint and parsley); Lemon wedges and extra virgin olive oil (, for garnish); Lebanese bread (for sauce mopping (recommended)

3 servings

servings

15 minutes

active time

25 minutes

total time

Start Cooking

Ingredients

500g/ 1lb chicken tenderloin (or breast), cut into 4cm / 1.5" squares, large vein cut out (Note 1)

4 tbsp Greek or plain yogurt

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp garlic (, finely grated or crushed using garlic press (~4 big cloves)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (1/2 tsp table salt, 1 1/4 tsp flakes)

1 cup Greek or plain yogurt (, full fat essential here!)

3/4 tsp garlic (, finely grated or crushed using garlic press (~1 clove)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp tahini (hulled), or extra 1 tbsp olive oil (Note 3)

1 tbsp+ water

1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (1/2 tsp table salt, 1 1/4 tsp flakes)

2 tbsp olive oil (, for cooking)

1 tsp parsley (, roughly chopped (or equal amounts mint and parsley)

Lemon wedges and extra virgin olive oil (, for garnish)

Lebanese bread (for sauce mopping (recommended)

Directions

ABBREVIATED RECIPE:

Marinade chicken 12 - 24 hrs. Cook in 2 batches. Whisk sauce, rest 1 hr, warm just before serving. Smother chicken, serve!

FULL RECIPE:

Marinade - Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add the chicken, toss to coat then refrigerate to marinate for 12 - 24 hours (Note 2).

Sauce - Put the sauce ingredients in a microwaveable bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside for 1 hour + to let the garlic flavour meld. (Note 4)

Cook chicken - Drain off excess marinade from the chicken. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non stick pan over high heat. Place half the chicken in and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes on each side until golden. Remove onto a plate.

Repeat - Scrape out / roughly wipe loose black bits out of the pan. Reheat remaining oil and cook remaining chicken. Rest for 2 minutes.

Warm sauce - While the chicken is resting, microwave for 40 seconds to warm (but not hot) then give it a good whisk. Taste and add more lemon for tangier, or more water to loosen (some yogurts are thicker than others).

Serving - Spread half the sauce in a shallow bowl. Use a spatula to transfer the chicken onto the yogurt. Spoon over remaining sauce, finish with a swish of olive oil and sprinkle of parsley. Serve!

Nutrition

Serving Size

Calories

285 kcal

Total Fat

18 g

Saturated Fat

3 g

Unsaturated Fat

14 g

Trans Fat

0.01 g

Cholesterol

80 mg

Sodium

1022 mg

Total Carbohydrate

3 g

Dietary Fiber

0.3 g

Total Sugars

1 g

Protein

28 g