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Recipes

Chicken for Lemon Lovers with Tarator

Written by: Rachel Simons | Published on:

Time: 1 Hour  |Serves 4  |

This is a flavorful, tangy, super-satisfying dish. It’s great for a casual lunch or dinner but works equally well for entertaining, given how gorgeous all the colors will look at your table. Once plated, the tarator sauce will start to meld into the chicken juices, so make sure to serve it with a side of roast potatoes, rice, or couscous to slurp up all that flavor! I often add a little ground turmeric to give the chicken a pretty golden color, but you can omit it if you’d like. The sauce can be made two days in advance and kept in the fridge.

Ingredients

FOR THE WALNUT TAHINI TARATOR
3⁄4 cup toasted walnuts, slightly cooled

1⁄2 cup tahini

3⁄4 cup water, or more as needed

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

FOR THE CHICKEN

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon for searing

2 lemons, zested and sliced into rounds

1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric (optional)

3 shallots, sliced into rings

2 tablespoons toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

1 to 2 tablespoons black and white sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

FOR THE WALNUT TAHINI TARATOR
1.In a food processor, blitz the walnuts to a fine meal (a little bit of texture is also fine if you prefer your sauce chunky).

2. Add the water, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper to the food processor and pulse until your desired consistency is achieved, adding more water, a little at a time, if
necessary, to loosen.

FOR THE CHICKEN
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Transfer to a medium bowl and combine with the salt, several grinds of pepper, 1⁄4 cup of the olive oil, and lemon zest. If desired, add in the turmeric to give the chicken a pretty, golden hue. Use your hands to toss the chicken pieces in the seasoning until coated (wear gloves or wash your hands immediately after this step or they will be stained by the turmeric).

3. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Place the chicken thighs in the oil skin-side down and cook until the skin has started to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out the shallots and lemon rounds evenly and top with the chicken thighs skin-side up. Cover the sheet with aluminum foil and roast for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the foil and roast for 5 to 10 minutes more to give the chicken a crispier skin.

5. To serve, place the chicken, lemon rounds, and shallots on a bed of rice or couscous and pour any pan baking juices over the top. Drizzle the Walnut Tahini Tarator over the chicken and garnish with the walnuts and a sprinkle of black and white sesame seeds.

Reprinted with permission from Sesame: Global Recipes + Stories of an Ancient Seed. Text copyright © 2025 by Rachel Simons. Photographs copyright © 2025 by Alan Benson. Illustrations copyright © 2025 by Evelina Edens. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.