Za’atar Chicken with Farro, Beets and Mint

Za’atar Chicken with Farro, Beets and Mint

Ingredients

  • Za’atar Chicken with Farro, Beets and Mint
  • A quick cheat is to use Trader Joe's fresh cooked beets from the refrigerator section.
  • Serves 4
  • 2 beets, peeled, and medium dice
  • 1 cup farro
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 teaspoons za'atar spice blend (see below)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 bunch of mint, washed and picked off stem, and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar
  • 1 large shallot, finely minced
  • 4 tablespoons pistachios, walnuts, or almonds, chopped
  • 4 ounces arugula,baby greens, baby kale or spinach, washed
  • 4 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese

Instructions

Bring the beets to a boil in a pot of salted water. Reduce temperature to medium high and cook for 15 minutes or until easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a saucepan with water, add salt and bring to a boil and then reduce temperature to medium high and cook for 18-25 minutes or until the farro is tender. Drain and return farro to the saucepan.

Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper and za'atar spices. Heat a skillet with olive oil over medium high heat and chicken breasts. Cook until browned, about 4-6 minutes per side or until browned and cooked through. Transfer cooked chicken to a cutting board and loosely cover with foil.

In a small bowl, add vinegar, shallots,salt and pepper and mix well. Add cooked beets and mix well. Set aside.

Finish the farro by adding the beet mixture, half of the mint, half of the pistachios, and arugula and mix well. Add some olive oil if the mixture is a little dry. Taste for seasoning.

To serve - place the farro on a plate. Cut the chicken on an angle and place on farro and garnish with the remaining mint, pistachios and goat cheese.

Za’atar Spice Blend

2 tablespoons dried thyme

2 tablespoons dried sumac

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

In a spice grinder, add thyme, sumac and sesame seeds and grind until mostly ground. Keep any leftover za'atar in the refrigerator or freezer. The oils in the sesame seeds can go rancid and spoil your spice blend.

Comments are closed.