Arabic Style Baked Chicken With Dried Plums and Herbs

The Arabic cuisine is mainly a combination of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Indian food. It has been affected by the mingling of Arab and non-Arabs over the centuries.

Sumac is an essential ingredient and adds a tangy, lemony taste to the dishes. The dried plums are a popular cooking ingredient and impart a sweet and sour flavour. Serve the baked chicken breast with a side of couscous or steamed Basmati rice.

Arabic Style Baked Chicken With Dried Plums and Herbs

adapted from Eat Smarter

400 g Chicken breast
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tsp Paprika powder
1 tsp Sumac powder
250 g Onion
3-5 Cherry tomatoes
1/2 Organic lemon
1/2 bunch Chives
2 sprig Thyme
1 bunch Parsley
6 Dried plums
2 tbsp Olive oil
150 ml Chicken broth

Rinse and dry the chicken breast. Season the chicken breast well with salt, pepper, sumac and paprika powder. Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least one hour.
Peel, and cut the onion into wedges. Slice each tomato into 4 wedges. Rinse the lemon clean with hot water. Finely grate the lemon zest and squeeze the juice.
Wash, dry the chives, thyme and parsley. Cut the chives into rings and finely chop the parsley and thyme leaves. Cut the dried plums into smaller pieces. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add in chicken breast and sear until golden on both sides.
In a baking dish, add in tomatoes, onions wedges, thyme, chives, half of the parsley, dried plums, lemon juice, zest and chicken broth. Place the pan-seared chicken breast fillets on top. Season with salt, pepper and paprika powder. Cover the baking dish with a piece of aluminum foil.
Bake the chicken in the middle of the hot oven for about 40 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil after 30 minutes and continue to roast the chicken until done. Sprinkle the rest of parsley over and serve.