Sumac Chicken With Carrots (Printable Version)
Juicy sumac-spiced roasted chicken with tender carrots and chickpeas in a vibrant Middle Eastern one-pan meal.
# What You Need:
→ Proteins
01 - 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
→ Vegetables & Legumes
02 - 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally
03 - 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
04 - 1 red onion, thinly sliced
05 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
→ Spices & Seasonings
06 - 2 tbsp olive oil
07 - 2 tsp ground sumac
08 - 1 tsp ground cumin
09 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
10 - 1/2 tsp ground coriander
11 - 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
12 - 1 tsp salt
→ Garnish
13 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
14 - Lemon wedges
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Position the rack in the center of the oven for even heat distribution.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, ground sumac, cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, salt, and black pepper. Whisk until a smooth, fragrant paste forms.
03 - Add the chicken thighs to the spice mixture and turn them several times, ensuring each piece is thoroughly and evenly coated on all sides.
04 - Scatter the sliced carrots, drained chickpeas, red onion, and minced garlic across the bottom of a roasting pan or large baking dish. Drizzle lightly with additional olive oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and toss to combine.
05 - Place the seasoned chicken thighs skin-side up on top of the vegetable and chickpea mixture, spacing them evenly so the skin crisps properly during roasting.
06 - Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, until the chicken skin is deeply golden and crisp, the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F, and the carrots are fork-tender.
07 - Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Scatter the chopped fresh parsley over the top and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.
# Helpful Hints:
01 -
- Everything cooks on a single sheet pan, which means you get a beautiful meal and your sink stays almost empty.
- The spice blend smells like a market stall in the best way, and it turns basic chicken thighs into something people will ask you to make again.
02 -
- If you marinate the chicken in the spice mixture for even thirty minutes before roasting, the flavor penetrates so much deeper that you will wonder why you ever rushed it.
- Let the roasted chicken rest for five minutes before serving because the juices need time to settle, otherwise they run straight onto the plate and the meat dries out.
03 -
- Taste your sumac before using it because fresher sumac is bright and tangy while older sumac can taste flat and dusty, and this dish depends on that vibrancy.
- A drizzle of good olive oil and an extra pinch of sumac right at the end, over the finished dish, gives it a professional touch that makes people think you learned to cook somewhere far away.