Recipe: Baba Ghanoush, Za’atar Pita, and Juicy Chicken Thighs with Herbs, Fresh Vegetables, and Pickles

A choose-your-own-adventure meal from the Middle East with layered textures and flavors to bring it together

Smoky, garlicky, and silky baba ghanoush (Middle Eastern eggplant dip) is paired with juicy chicken thighs. Fresh herbs, raw onion, olives, and pickles provide a bright counterbalance to the richness of the eggplant and chicken. Crisp yet soft pita bread showered in za’atar, a fragrant and crunchy spice and sesame seed blend, provides the perfect platform for the assortment. In less time than you’d think, you’ll create a choose-your-own-adventure meal that’ll teach you balance, textural contrast, and how layering flavorful building blocks can elevate your cooking.

There are a lot of ways to make this recipe easier and quicker to prepare. The most important thing will be to time your tasks. I’ll explain the specifics of timing your tasks in the suggested directions. You can also omit certain ingredients. To save time, skip the za’atar, just microwave the eggplant, and reduce the number of condiments. However, each element adds a lot to the composition of the meal. Challenge yourself and go for the all-out version! It’ll be worth it.

Vegans and vegetarians can omit the chicken from this recipe. In my experience, it doesn’t need to be replaced. If you’d like a replacement, I’d suggest cauliflower broken up into florets, broiled for 15 minutes or until fork tender and crispy, and seasoned well.

It will be easier to source all of these ingredients at your local Middle Eastern market. If you don’t have access to one, you should still be able to find most of the ingredients.

Learn more about why and how this dish works: Playing With Fire, and How Bread Is the Best Utensil

Come and cook it with us on Wednesday, March 10th at 6pm PST (add to calendar)!

Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: Serves two to three

Ingredients:

For the baba ghanoush:

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 2 large eggplants

• 1 Tbsp of tahini

• 1 Tbsp of lemon juice

• salt

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• liquid smoke (recommended if you don’t have a gas stove)

• paprika (optional for garnish)

• parsley (optional for garnish)

For the chicken:

• 1 pound chicken thighs, boneless and skinless

• salt

• black pepper

• olive oil

For the pita:

• as many store-bought pita as your heart desires

• olive oil

• za’atar spice mix (you can make your own, but store-bought is easier)

For the condiments:

• pickled cucumbers (I recommend Mid-east or Sadaf brand)

• pickled turnips (store-bought can be hit or miss, I’d make it myself ahead of time)

• 1 ripe tomato

• 1/2 white onion (use a yellow onion for a more sharp taste)

• a few sprigs of fresh mint

• 1/2 cup of garlicky and briny green olives

• 2 crunchy persian cucumbers

Tools needed:

• oven

• baking tray

• salad spinner/mesh strainer/cheesecloth (for straining liquid from eggplant)
  I’d recommend the salad spinner based on its easy cleanup and quick straining.

• bowl

• aluminum foil (optional, makes cleanup easier)

• knife, cutting board

• fine grater or garlic press

• tongs

• spoon

• plastic bag/plastic wrap (for steaming eggplant in the microwave)

Suggested directions:

1. Wash your hands. Gather your tools and ingredients.

   

2. Wash all of the herbs and vegetables. That include the eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, and mint.

   

3. If you have a gas stove: Put the strongest burner on high, and put the eggplant directly on the burner. Set a timer for 20 minutes and make sure to turn the eggplant 90 degrees every 5 minutes. If you want to make the cleanup a bit easier, line the burner with foil.

   

   If you have an electric stove: Poke about 10 small holes into the eggplant, then put the eggplant into an open ziploc bag (do not close the bag completely!) or wrap in plastic wrap. Cook the plastic wrapped eggplant in the microwave on high for 10 minutes, or until soft and limp.

   

4. While the eggplant is cooking, start the chicken thighs. Oil a baking tray (you can use aluminum foil for easier cleanup) and place the chicken thighs on the tray. Evenly rub more oil on the chicken thighs, then season liberally with salt and black pepper.

   

5. Place the baking tray with the chicken thighs 5-6 inches away from the broiler on the top rack. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
   Reminder: turn the eggplant!

6. Now, we want to prep the pita. You have the option to separate the pita into two halves. I did because my pita was abnormally thick, but it’s usually left whole.

7. In a small bowl, make a paste with about 1 part za’atar to 3/4 parts olive oil and spread it to coat the pita. If you have ground sumac, sprinkle some over the za’atar coated pita. Set these aside. The coating will result in a crispy, flavor-packed crust atop the chewy pita. You can thank Ranwa, an old classmate of mine, for the paste suggestion.

   

8. While the chicken is broiling and the eggplant is getting fire-roasted (or nuked), prep your mint, vegetables, and pickles.
   Reminder: turn the eggplant!

9. Trim the ends off of the cucumbers and slice the tomatoes into eighths.

   

10. Place your mint sprigs on the plate. Clean the onion, and chop it into quarters. Then with your fingers, separate the onion layers and plate those.

    

11. Slice up some pickles, and put those on the plate along with some olives. Voila, now you have condiments. Back to the eggplant now.

    

12. When the eggplant well roasted on all sides (and 20 minutes has passed), take it off the heat (or out of the microwave) and place it into a bowl with a strainer, or a salad spinner.

    

13. At this point, the chicken should also be done. Use a thermometer to check that the thickest part of the thigh has reached 165ºF, or cut into it to ensure there is no pink/raw flesh. Remove it from the oven, and turn off the broiler.

    

14. Take out your eggplant and cut them in half on a cutting board. Let them cool off for a few minutes.

    

15. While the eggplant is cooling off, clean up your space a bit. Put some dishes into the dishwasher, put away ingredients you’re done with, and toss the scraps from the vegetables you prepped.

16. After the eggplant has cooled for about 3-5 minutes, take a spoon and with the flesh side up, gently scrape the flesh away from the skin. You can also use some scissors and peel the skin.

    

    

17. Put the flesh into the salad spinner/mesh strainer and discard the skin. The skin is pretty tough, so try to get as much off as you can.

18. Strain the liquid from the eggplant by gently spinning the salad spinner for 30 seconds, or by pressing the flesh against the mesh strainer lightly until only a few drops of liquid are coming out.

    

19. At this point you have a few choices to make based on which end result you want:
    - Leave the eggplant pieces long and whole, resulting in silky stringy pieces of eggplant and some textural variation (my preferred texture).
    - Chop up the eggplant with a knife resulting in some textural variation and mostly little chunks.
    - Purée the eggplant in a food processor or blender resulting in a completely smooth and consistent creamy texture.

20. Put your stringy/chunky/smooth eggplant mixture into a bowl about double the size of the eggplant.

21. Now it’s time to incorporate our other ingredients. I’d recommend adding in all of these a bit at a time, tasting as you go to fine tune your end product. The amounts I suggest are more for guidance.

22. Grate or crush the garlic into a fine paste and put it in the bowl along with 1 tsp of salt.

    

23. Juice 1-2 Tbsp of lemon juice into the bowl.

    

24. Put 1-2 Tbsp of tahini in the bowl.

    

25. Stir the ingredients together with a fork until your arm falls off, or about 2-3 minutes.

26. Start drizzling in olive oil in a steady stream.

    

27. When half of your olive oil is incorporated, reserve the rest and taste your baba ghanoush to see where it’s at. If you want more tahini, go for it. If you think it could use some more salt, put some salt in there. You want more bright and sour lemon juice? Squeeze some more in, I dare you.
    If you microwaved your eggplant earlier, put in liquid smoke 1/8 tsp at a time, stirring and tasting it each time until you land on a smoky taste that’s present, but not overpowering.

28. Place your pita slices covered in za’atar in the oven and set a timer for 3 minutes. The residual heat from the broiler will toast the pita. If you want your pita crispier, leave it in for longer, or crank up the heat for a minute. I’d recommend keeping the pita soft enough to fold without completely breaking. Don’t be like me and forget your pita in there for 10 minutes.

    

29. Plate your baba ghanoush. I like to make a well in the dish so I can drench it in olive oil. I use the backside of a spoon while rotating the dish to shape the well in the baba ghanoush. Pour the rest of your olive oil into the well, or just over the dish if you didn’t make a well.

    

    

30. Sprinkle some paprika on it and garnish it with some parsley. The color contrast really makes it pop.

    

31. Take out your pita, slice up your chicken, and plate it all up.

    

    We’re all done. Let’s feast!

Extension: I would make other mezes like fatteh and some spruced up labneh. Specifically, labneh with some olive oil, za’atar, and salt. I’d also make some mint green or black tea with a healthy dose of sugar to wash everything down.