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A refreshingly delicious Baked Chicken with Summer Vegetables, Chickpeas, Lemon Pepper & touch of Zahtar

Tangy, refreshing lemon, packed with goodness.

Tangy, refreshing lemon, packed with goodness.

I am a huge lemon fan; love its refreshing, tangy flavor and lemon is a welcome addition to most of the dishes I enjoy. My dear friend Hande knows my soft spot for lemons and she made us a delicious chicken course using this lemon pepper blend while we stayed with them in Houston. It was my first time to try this blend and I greatly enjoyed it.

Lemon pepper spice blend; delicious on fish, poultry and vegetables.

Lemon pepper spice blend; delicious on fish, poultry and vegetables.

Lemon pepper blend consists of good sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, lemon peel, garlic and onion. It is wonderful on fish and equally as good on chicken, turkey and vegetables. The spice store Penzeys  have it; alternatively, you can also make your own.

Baked chicken with summer vegetables and lemon pepper; a delicious main course you can prepare ahead of time.

Baked chicken with summer vegetables and lemon pepper; a delicious main course you can prepare ahead of time.

Hande kindly gave me some extra lemon pepper seasoning and we recently made this delicious baked chicken with summer vegetables. Runner beans, or string beans or taze fasulye are in season until about October and they are delicious in this dish. Peppers, zucchini, tomato all worked well here with the tangy lemon pepper. I also added some cooked chickpeas here, as commonly used in Southern Turkish cooking, like in this stuffed zucchini/courgettes with ground meat, tomatoes, onions and chickpeas recipe. It turned out to be a wholesome, delicious meal, (late) summer on a plate. An easy, wonderful casserole you can prepare ahead of time and leftovers freeze very well.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4

Serves 2-4

Preparation time: 35 minutes                   Cooking time: 45 minutes

450 gr./1lb chicken breast, cut into small chunks

175gr/6oz. runner beans (or string beans)

2 small zucchini (courgette), cut in half and sliced

2 onions, chopped coarsely

4-6 garlic cloves, diced

3 small bell peppers (green, yellow and red), deseeded and cut into chunks

400gr/14oz. -1 can of chopped tomatoes

400gr/14oz; 1 can of cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed

30ml/2 tbsp. olive oil

240ml/8 fl. oz. /1 cup water

To marinate the chicken:

Juice of 1 lemon

15ml/1 tbsp. lemon pepper seasoning (*)

15ml/1 tbsp. olive oil

(*) To make your own lemon pepper seasoning:

Zest of 1 lemon

10ml/ 2 tsp. sea salt (you can have if you prefer)

5ml/1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

 To serve:

Turkish red pepper flakes/ Pul Biber

Plain rice

To make your own lemon pepper; combine the lemon zest with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, ready to season the chicken (I didn’t add garlic and onion to this blend, as I used plenty onions and garlic at the chicken bake).

In a bowl, combine the lemon pepper, lemon juice and olive oil and rub this mixture to the chicken pieces, mix well. Cover and keep in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or so that the flavors can blend.

Summer on a plate; runner beans, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini taste delicious in this chicken casserole.

Summer on a plate; runner beans, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini taste delicious in this chicken casserole.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare your vegetables. Top and tail the beans and pull away any strings and cut into 3-4 pieces. I also like to cut them in half into thin strips. Combine the rest of the vegetables in a baking dish, stir in the olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Place the marinated chicken in a heavy pan and sauté for 3-5 minutes to seal their juice. Turn the heat off.

Stir in the sautéed chicken to the vegetables mix and add the chopped tomatoes and water. Give them all a good mix. Bake in the pre-heated oven, uncovered for about 35 minutes.

About 35 minutes later, stir in the rinsed, cooked chickpeas to the mixture, combine well. Bake for another 10 minutes or so, until the chicken and vegetables starting to turn nicely golden brown on top.

Chicken casserole with summer vegetables, chickpeas and lemon pepper; a delicious and wholesome main course

Chicken casserole with summer vegetables, chickpeas and lemon pepper; a delicious and wholesome main course

If you like a little heat like we do, sprinkle some Turkish red pepper flakes, pul biber on the finished dish, just before you serve.

Here is my plate! This baked chicken with vegetables make a delicious, complete meal with plain rice and natural yoghurt by the side.

Here is my plate! This baked chicken with vegetables make a delicious, complete meal with plain rice and natural yoghurt by the side.

You can serve your baked chicken with summer vegetables with plain rice and natural plain yoghurt aside. Cacik, the cucumber yoghurt dip with mint  would also be a delicious accompaniment.

Aromatic Zahtar blend of sumac, wild oregano, sesame seeds and more;  it adds a lot of flavor to vegetables, meat and poultry.

Aromatic Zahtar blend of sumac, wild oregano, sesame seeds and more; it adds a lot of flavor to vegetables, meat and poultry.

Recently, we also enjoyed this chicken and vegetables bake with the aromatic zahtar sprinkled over too. Za’atar is an exotic blend of herbs, spices and nuts, widely used in Southern Turkish as well as Middle Eastern cooking. At my home town, Antakya, zahtar blend is a rich mixture of dried zahter, sesame seeds, crushed cooked chickpeas, cumin, nigella seeds, sea salt, sumac and many more. It has a lovely, pungent, nutty taste and flavors salads, meat, and vegetables beautifully. Here is more information on zahtar and how to make your zahtar blend at home.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

 

 

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12 Responses to A refreshingly delicious Baked Chicken with Summer Vegetables, Chickpeas, Lemon Pepper & touch of Zahtar

  1. backtobodrum September 3, 2013 at 2:36 pm #

    I can’t wait to get back to Turkish food – only 1 day to go!

    • Ozlem Warren September 4, 2013 at 12:44 pm #

      We can’t wait to have you back either, safe travels! : ) Ozlem

  2. Joy (My Traveling Joys) September 3, 2013 at 4:15 pm #

    Looks delicious! I broiled some chicken breasts just last night with lemon pepper and olive oil. Served with a side of garlicky yogurt. Yum! 🙂

    • Ozlem Warren September 4, 2013 at 12:43 pm #

      Garlicky yoghurt sounds like a great combo there Joy, I bet yours was so delicious! Selamlar, Ozlem : )

  3. Phil in the Kitchen September 3, 2013 at 10:30 pm #

    That looks absolutely lovely. A perfect late summer dish. Lemon and chicken is a very fine combination indeed. I love the addition of runner beans too. It’s one of my favourite vegetables but I know a number of people, including my wife, who don’t like them for some strange reason. They’re my guilty secret – I eat lots of them when I’m on my own.

    • Ozlem Warren September 4, 2013 at 12:42 pm #

      I do love runner beans too Phil, always look forward to the season; we have a variety called Ayse Kadin Fasulye, absolutely delightful when cooked in plentiful of onions, garlic and seasonal tomatoes with olive oil. A squeeze of lemon over the top, it is heavenly. Glad you liked the post : )

  4. Peri's Spice Ladle September 4, 2013 at 3:39 am #

    I do love the flavors of lemon pepper, got some back from India this time, just love sprinkling some over my veges and meat too. And the chicken dish is perfect for the end of summer, a reminder of languid days and lazy evenings:) xxPeri.

    • Ozlem Warren September 4, 2013 at 12:41 pm #

      We’re making the most of the balmy summer days from this end Peri, lovely to get your note:) I bet you got the real thing in India; greatly enjoy how you spice up your dishes! Ozlem xx

  5. senior dogs abroad September 5, 2013 at 5:10 am #

    [Marked as spam by Antispam Bee | Spam reason: Server IP]
    Özlem, Thanks for the delicious-sounding and beautiful-looking recipe. You photos are very seductive. I am particularly thankful for the lemon-pepper spice recipe. Fishing season has just begun out here and I’m going to have to have some ready. Sana çok selamlar.

    • Ozlem Warren September 5, 2013 at 3:33 pm #

      Merhaba Jolee: )

      Glad the lemon pepper spice may come handy, it really is wonderful on fish too. Oh, how I wished to be back home during this fishing season; especially if you are by the coast or Bosphorus (or Burgazada : ) – what joy that is to enjoy fish, please do enjoy for me too. Cok selamlar, Ozlem

  6. Alida September 12, 2013 at 8:14 pm #

    What a wonderful kitchen Ozlem! I love all those vegetables. This is a very nutritious salad with everything in it. A very good meal indeed. Ciao!

    • Ozlem Warren September 12, 2013 at 8:26 pm #

      Ciao Alida, many thanks!

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