Lebanese-Inspired Black Pepper and Cumin ‘Yoghurt Chicken’ If you caught my st…

Lebanese-Inspired Black Pepper and Cumin ‘Yoghurt Chicken’ ?

If you caught my stories the other day you’ll have seen me talking about this ‘yoghurt chicken’; I don’t know the actual name of this dish (if it has one?), but that’s what it was called in my mum’s house. It’s a softly spiced and fragrant Lebanese dish, shown to mum by one of her sister friends many years ago – I guess this is my version! It’s really simple to make with few ingredients and I’m always surprised at how much spicing it can take from the black pepper (you could totally add more than the 3tsp)! The chicken always comes out so tender and juicy – perfect for stuffing into pitta or flatbreads with salads, and also nice with rice ?

? Here’s my version of the recipe (serves 2)

400g chicken (I used tenders but other cuts would work)
3 tbsp plain natural/greek yoghurt
3 tsp freshly ground black peppercorns
2 tsp freshly ground cumin seeds
1 large garlic clove (grated/minced)
Zest from 1/2 large lemon

? Mix to fully coat the chicken. Cover and leave to marinade for 1hr. Ideally longer/overnight for maximum flavour/tenderisation. Remove from the fridge 30mins before cooking and pre-heat oven to gas 5/190°C.

? Cook the chicken in a in cast-iron pan/casserole dish with 1tbsp olive oil – lid on. This is very important as its going to create a load of cooking juice and keep the chicken super tender. It should be cooked through in about 20-25mins (check a piece to make sure).

? Once cooked remove the lid and let stand for a couple mins. Shred/chop the chicken up into smaller pieces directly in the pan – the liquids will start to absorb back into the chicken and also make it more saucy. Serve topped with:

Freshly chopped coriander (a small bunch – can sub for parsley)
Big pinch ‘salt and peppery’ (or sea salt and more black pepper)