Oven Roasted Middle Eastern Chicken Breasts

4.63 from 45 votes

Oven Roasted Middle Eastern Chicken Breasts

These Oven Roasted Middle Eastern Chicken Breasts packs a flavor punch like you will not believe. Marinated in a punchy concoction of seasonings like paprika, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon and then oven roasted to perfection, these chicken breasts hold in all of their moisture and make a great addition to a salad, wrap or on top of a bed of rice. Perfect for meal prepping and packing lunches for the week ahead.

Prep Time5

Cook Time45

Total Time50

Course: Main

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Keyword: middle eastern chicken breasts

Servings: serves

Calories: 217kcal

Ingredients

2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoons ground turmeric
½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 lb (about 500g) chicken breasts boneless and skinless
1 onion sliced into wedges

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425F.
In a large bowl whisk together the spices, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Add in the chicken and onions and give everything a good mix, making sure the chicken is well coated.
2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, ½ teaspoons ground turmeric, ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoons ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoons salt, 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, ½ cup olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 lb (about 500g) chicken breasts, 1 onion
If you have time to leave the chicken to marinade then awesome, do that. I never do so I always cook it straight away and it is still fantastic.
Add everything to a baking dish and pop into the preheated oven for 40-45 mins, or until the chicken is brown and crispy on the edges.
Once cooked, remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for about 5 mins before cutting it into slices.

Notes

Need ideas for how to serve it?

Pair it with some store bought tabbouleh. Trader Joe's has a great cauliflower version I am quite partial to;
Serve it for lunch in a wrap (or a nice pita if you can find a good one) with some baby spinach leaves or arugula, some sliced tomatoes and a smear of hummus;
Plate it up plain with some steamed brown rice and a quick garlic yogurt sauce;
Avoiding carbs? Wrap it in a lettuce leaf and go to town;
Thinly sliced on a homemade pizza.

Store: allow the chicken to cool completely before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze: this also freezes well. I like to slice and freeze in portions, however, cooked breasts can be stored whole also.
Meal prepping: the chicken can be placed in the marinade a couple of days before cooking if you like to meal prep. It can also be frozen uncooked in the marinade for up to 3 months if stored correctly.

Nutrition