Grilled Za’atar Chicken With Garlic Yogurt + Delicata Salad

This garlicky, herby chicken is full-flavored and very tender, thanks to its piquant yogurt marinade. It’s flexible, too — marinate the meat for as little as a couple of hours, or as long as overnight. The delicata salad is a great side dish to the chicken, and it pairs beautifully with the Lolati Wines Rosé of Grenache.

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

For the Chicken:

• 6 garlic cloves, finely grated, pressed, or minced

• 2 lemons, zested

• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more sprigs for garnish

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

• 1 ½ tbsp za’atar, plus more for serving

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or marjoram, plus more sprigs for garnish

• 1 ¾ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 2 ¼ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

For the Salad:

• 6 small onions

• 2-3 tbsp. olive oil

• salt & pepper, to taste

• 1 small delicata squash

• Large bunch of mixed greens of your liking

• ¼ cup of slivered or sliced almonds, toasted

• Salad dressing of your choice (I like a good honey mustard vinaigrette)

DIRECTIONS

Step 1

In a large bowl or container, stir together 5 of the grated garlic cloves, half the lemon zest, 1/3 cup yogurt, the cilantro, oil, za’atar, oregano or marjoram, salt and black pepper. Add chicken and toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Step 2

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 425° F and light the grill to medium. Cut the ends off of the delicata and then slice lengthwise. Scrap out and discard seeds with a spoon. Slice squash into 1/2 in moons and put on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 Tbs of olive oil (you can use more or less depending on the size of the squash). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Mix all together with your hands and then arrange the squash pieces in a single layer. Place in oven and roast until soft and slightly charred, about 20-30 minutes flipping halfway.

Step 3

Peel and halve the onions and put into a small bowl. Drizzle lightly with 1 tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the onions until charred and soft. They will be sweet and delicious!

Step 4

Remove chicken from bowl, shaking off any excess marinade, and grill on one side until charred in spots, 5-8 minutes. Flip the chicken and grill or broil for another 5-8 minutes, until just cooked through.

Step 5

While the chicken is cooking, place remaining 2/3 cup yogurt in a small bowl. Stir in the reserve grated garlic clove and lemon zest, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut one zested lemon in half and set aside for serving (save the other zested lemon for another use).

Step 6

To serve, place chicken on a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil and a large squeeze of the zested lemon. Top with cilantro and oregano or marjoram sprigs and serve with yogurt sauce.

Step 7

Dress and season your salad greens to your taste and put on a large platter. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and a large squeeze of the zested lemon. Top with cilantro and oregano or marjoram sprigs and serve with yogurt sauce. Add roasted squash, grilled onions, and almonds. Enjoy!

Recipe by Melissa Clark in New York Times Cooking