Spicy Mediterranean Chicken: A Savory, Simple Dish for Dinner

Spicy Mediterranean chicken is a delicious, flavorful, healthy dish served family-style with pita, almond slivers, and sumac to boost the spice profile.

Serves: 4-6 Time: 1hr 15min Cookbook: More Mediterranean

Over here at Cook Like a Master, Mediterranean food makes our hearts go pitter-patter. The cuisine is jam-packed with flavor, health benefits, and is almost always easy to make. What’s not to love? Today’s recipe for Spicy Mediterranean Chicken covers all of those bases and we’re sure this is about to become one of your next favorite meals.

America’s Test Kitchen is one of the first cooking authorities to codify Mediterranean cooking. Though many amazing chefs have cookbooks with Mediterranean recipes, ATK has compiled some of the best, most authentic cooking from the Mediterranean region. Today’s recipe features a traditional savory spice blend, regional olive oil, and chicken cooked to perfection.

Jump Ahead:

• 🍗 Ingredients Needed to Make Spicy Mediterranean Chicken
• 🍴 Equipment You’ll Need in the Kitchen
• 🥄 How to Make Spicy Mediterranean Chicken
• ♾️ Spicy Mediterranean Chicken Variations
• ❓ Spicy Mediterranean Chicken Tips, Tricks, and FAQs

Ingredients Needed to Make Spicy Mediterranean Chicken

To make this family-style meal, you’ll need:

• 1/3 cup Slivered Almonds or Pine Nuts
• 5 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 lbs Chicken Breasts, Drumsticks, or Thighs
• 1 1/2 lbs Onions
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3/4 tsp Pepper
• 1/4 cup Sumac
• 2 tsp Baharat Spice Mix (see recipe below)
• 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley
• 3 Pita, Naan, or Flatbread

Note: If you want to make your own flatbread, check out Anissa Helou’s pita recipe! It goes with this meal perfectly.

Equipment Needed In the Kitchen

12-Inch Skillet

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Serving Plate

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• 12-inch Ovensafe Skillet: This is an ingenious piece of kitchen equipment. You can go from stovetop to oven to serving all in the same skillet. We love ours and wouldn’t trade it for the world.
• Large Serving Plate: Since this dish is traditionally eaten family-style, a serving plate is perfect for presenting this dish. Keep a serving spoon or spatula nearby to hand out individual servings.
• Slotted Spoon

How to Make Spicy Mediterranean Chicken

This is a traditional Palestinian dish that’s served family-style. Friends and family gather around a central dish and enjoy eating pieces of delectable chicken together with the onions and fresh bread.

Make the spice(y) blend (Baharat)

This spice blend is popular across the Middle East and North Africa. Depending on your favorite region, you might find different variations of this recipe.

• 1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
• 5 tsp Ground Cumin
• 2 Tbsp Ground Chile Pepper
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Ground Fresh Pepper
• 2 tsp Ground Cloves
• 1Tbsp Ground Cardamom
• 2 tsp Ground Nutmeg

Add all spices and mix together. Store in an airtight container until ready to use (up to one month).

Toast the almonds or pine nuts

Line a bowl or plate with a couple layers of paper towels and set aside.

Add almonds or pine nuts with 1 tbsp of oil into an oven-safe skillet. Stir over medium-high heat until nuts are golden. This should take around 3-5 minutes.

Remove the nuts using a slotted spoon and let them drain in the paper towel-lined bowl or plate.

Note: Could you skip this step? If you’re pressed for time, you sure could. This step simply adds another layer of flavor to this wonderful dish.

Prep the oven

Adjust your oven racks so one sits in the lower portion of your oven and another sits around 6-inches below the broiler.

Preheat to 475 degrees.

Cook chicken in skillet

Dry chicken by patting thoroughly with paper towels then sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt and pepper.

Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to skillet and heat to medium-high heat.

Add chicken to the skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes. If using skin-on chicken, place chicken skin-side down. Skin should be brown and crispy at the end of your cooking time.

Remove chicken and set aside on a large plate.

Cook onions

Remove oil from skillet and wipe clean with paper towels.

Chop onions, then add onions, another 3 Tbsp olive oil, and 1/2 tsp salt to skillet over medium heat.

Stir while onions cook until softened, for 8-10 minutes.

Once cooked, remove skillet from heat and add 2 Tablespoons sumac and 2 Tablespoons baharat.

Note: The spice level of this dish comes from the onion mixture. If you want to turn up the heat, sprinkle some on the chicken, as well.

Finish cooking chicken

Place chicken browned side up on the onions in the skillet.

Put the skilled in the lower rack and cook until the internal temperature reads 160 for breasts and 175 for thighs. This should take around 15-20 minutes.

Let the chicken rest

When cooked, remove skillet from oven and place on a heat-safe surface. Place chicken on a plate off the heat, and cover with tented aluminum foil while it rests.

Prep the flatbread

Heat broiler to low and place flatbreads on a rimmed baking sheet.

Toast the bread under the broiler for 1-2 minutes.

Remove and cut bread into quarters.

Serve family-style

Serve this dish family-style on a large serving dish by laying flatbread quarters on the bottom.

Add onions over top and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp sumac.

Place chicken pieces on top of each flatbread piece.

Finish by adding toasted nuts, parsley, and 1 Tbsp sumac overtop. Garnish with a final drizzle of olive oil just before serving.

Spicy Mediterranean Chicken Variations

The most common variations of this dish involve changing the baharat spice blend used when cooking the onions. Here are a few popular alternatives.

Not-as-spicy: Remove the chile powder from the spice blend.

Herbal: Add 1 tsp dried mint or oregano to the spice blend.

Sweet: Add 1 tsp allspice to the spice blend.

Spicy Mediterranean Chicken Tips, Tricks, and FAQs

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