Golden and crispy on the outside, tender and juicy inside – this Crispy Baked Za’atar Chicken is sure to become a staple on your kitchen table!
I asked my husband to give me a top 5 list of his favorite recipes of mine; this bad-boy was on the list! I was surprised it wasn’t already on my blog because we make it so frequently. Better late than never, I guess.
What you’ll need to make Crispy Za’atar Chicken:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts – about 1½ lbs total
- kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp sumac (optional)
- 3 tbsp Za’atar – I prefer a whole blend
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano – finely grated
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs may – you need 3 if they’re small
- cooking spray – olive oil or avocado oil
Is it really necessary to toast the panko breadcrumbs?
Emphatically YES! Taking the extra handful of minutes to toast your breadcrumbs will lead to a much crispier, crunchier, golden-brown finished product. In general, panko soaks up less moisture than Italian bread crumbs, and toasted panko absorbs even less moisture.
Another huge benefit to toasting, is it prevents your crumbs from absorbing an excessive amount of beaten egg during the breading stage, which helps the crust to stay super crisp when it comes to baking the cutlets.
I made this recipe once without toasting the panko just to see if there really was a difference; my oh my was there ever! The bottom of my cutlets had soggy spots and it just was not it. Never again! The best 5 minutes spent.
What do you mean when you say whole spice Za’atar blend?
Many Za’atar spice blends use ground spices but I prefer a whole spice blend because I like the texture. I use this blend from Stonehouse Olive Oil. Their recipe includes: toasted sesame seeds, thyme, sumac, sea salt, and California chili.
Can I buy store-bought thin-cut chicken breasts to save time?
I’m all for time saving steps when it makes sense but this isn’t one I endorse. Pounding the chicken yourself tenderizes the meat and ensures a consistent thickness for evenly cooked, juicy meat. It also achieves a more balanced breading-to-chicken ratio; with thin-cut breasts, you get the feeling of eating more breading than chicken. Finally, thin store-bought cuts cook faster, risking undercooked breading or overcooked chicken. No bueno.
How do I avoid my hands becoming a hot mess of flour, egg, and panko?
When breading chicken, use one hand for the dry coatings and one hand for the wet. It’s much less messy this way. I have to remind myself of this during the entire process because my instinct is to just go for it.
Looking for more weeknight dinners? I’ve got you covered!
- Dirty Rice Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Mediterranean Shrimp with Feta
- Georgian Inspired Stuffed Hatch Chili Peppers
- Baked Meatballs with Fresh Herbs
Crispy Za’atar Chicken
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally to form flat cutlets. Place a cutlet in a resealable freezer bag and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound to an even thickness between ⅛ and ¼-inch thick. Remove the pounded cutlet and set aside. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken. Season both sides of the chicken cutlets with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Heat a wide skillet over medium heat. When warm, add 2 tbsp of olive oil or butter. Add panko breadcrumbs and stir regularly until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Be careful not to burn!
- In a large shallow bowl, mix the panko, ½ tsp ground black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, sumac, Za'atar, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Place the flour in another shallow bowl. Beat the eggs in a third bowl. Set up a dredging station in this order: flour, eggs, panko.
- Place a wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and spray with cooking oil. We're going to transfer the chicken cutlets here when they're breaded. Preheat the oven to 425℉ and set a rack to the middle position.
- Dredge the cutlets in the flour, coating evenly on both sides; dip in the eggs, letting any excess drip off; then dredge in the panko mixture, turning and patting to adhere. Transfer to the wire cooling rack topped baking sheet and repeat until all the chicken is breaded.
- Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven and bake until golden brown and cooked to an internal temperature of 165℉, about 20 minutes.
- Top with additional Za'atar if desired. Serve with a nice green salad, mashed potatoes, cucumber salad, pickled cabbage, grilled veggies; basically this will go with anything your heart desires.
