In our recent blog 7 staples in a dietitian’s pantry, we briefly talked about using different herbs and spices can diversify your basic ingredients. This recipe uses a mixture of spices to give a basic protein — chicken, an Israeli kick. Save this recipe if you like to introduce a Middle Eastern kick to your food rotation.

Israeli Style Chicken with Tahini

Serves: 2

Time: 10 minutes + 30+ min marinate time

Skill required: chopping, measuring, mixing, grilling, assembling

Equipment: 1x mixing bowl/container/zip bag, pan/griddle pan/oven, serving plate.

Ingredient list

Israeli-style chicken:

• 1/2 leek (sectioned/sliced)

• 160g chicken breast pieces (cut into ~1-inch cubes)

• 1tbsp oil

• Salt & pepper

• 1tbsp ground coriander

• 2tsp ground cumin

• 1tsp smoked paprika

• 1/4tsp cinnamon powder

• 1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional)

• 1tsp onion powder (optional)

• 1tsp turmeric powder (optional)

• drizzle of tahini

Make it a meal:

• pita breads/flatbread

• salad/vegetables

Methods

1. Marinating chicken: Mix leek, chicken breast pieces, oil and all spices into a bowl/zip-lock bag and marinade for at least 30min (best overnight). It can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

2. Prepare sides: Make/warm-up pita bread/ flatbreads. Prepare vegetables as your liking.

3. Cook the Chicken: On medium heat, grill the chicken on a pan for ~3-5 minutes on each side. Or grill in the oven: 220°C (conventional) or 240°C (fan-forced) for 15 minutes or until all chicken is cooked and coloured.

4. Assemble: Assemble as you like and finish with a drizzle of tahini. (we used homemade flatbread and Israeli Salad - see below for recipe)
   

Dietitian’s Tips

• Minimal salt: Using only a small amount of salt can still get a punch of flavour due to the strong flavours from spices.

• Use other carbs: It serves well with rice, quinoa, couscous salad or starchy veggies.

• Vegetable choices: Choose the vegetables you like based on the grains. e.g. grilled zucchini, capsicum, carrot; sautee beans, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts; or mixed salad leaves

• Vegetarian: The marinade is great for firm tofu, tempeh or Quorn pieces, etc.

• Make it your staple: Bulk mix the spices and store in a jar. Now you have an Israeli spice mix ready to go.

The salad we use: Israeli-Inspired Salad

Serves: 2

Time: 10 minutes + 30+ min marinate time

Skill required: chopping, measuring, mixing, grilling, assembling

Equipment: 1x mixing bowl/container/zip bag, pan/griddle pan/oven, serving plate

Ingredient list

• 1/2 onion (finely diced)

• 1 Lebanese cucumber (finely diced)

• 1 tomato (finely diced)

• salt and pepper to taste

• 2tsp olive oil

• juice of 1/2 lemon

• handful parsley (finely chopped; optional)

Methods

1. Finely dice onion, cucumber and tomato, and put in a bowl

2. Add all other ingredients into the bowl and mix well.

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