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We honor tradition of praying for a Sweet New Year by dipping apples in honey, but we are always looking for new ways to enjoy ubiquitous Rosh Hashanah flavors. This Rosh Hashanah, I’m bringing you a new Holiday recipe by combining the flavors of Israel with Grilled Tahini Honey Chicken. The familiar sweetness and tradition of honey filled foods is still there, but it’s balanced with the earthy, nutty flavor of tahini, creating a dish as vibrant and layered as our hopes for the year to come.
Grilled Tahini Honey Chicken
When I saw the recipe for Grilled Tahini Honey Chicken, I knew it would be perfect for Rosh Hashanah (and year round too!). Loaded with sweet, traditional honey, and earthy, nutty tahini it’s a twist on the traditional flavors of the Holiday. And bonus! It’s grilled!!
Where the recipe for Grilled Tahini Honey Chicken Comes from
This recipe originates on the New York Times Cooking site under Grilled Tahini-Honey Chicken Thighs. Here is what they said about it:
“Simple and impactful, this pantry marinade made from lemon, honey, tahini and olive oil gives chicken a subtle nutty flavor and imparts a gorgeous color — and caramelization — thanks to the honey’s sugar content. You can cook this chicken one of three ways: on the grill, in the oven or a skillet; all options lead to sensational results. Flavorful but versatile, this chicken pairs with almost anything. You could serve a refreshing green salad or grilled vegetables on the side, or tuck the chicken into a toasted pita with avocado, cucumbers and crumbled feta. Sprinkling sumac on the cooked chicken or adding it to the sauce will add extra depth and citrusy notes.”
I made it during the summer as a first attempt. It was incredibly delicious, and the family voted that I’d have to prepare it again with this post and Rosh Hashanah in mind!
Grilled Tahini-Honey Chicken Thighs from the New York Times Cooking Site by Yasmin Fahr.
Making Grilled Tahini Honey Chicken
I recently spent an entire month in Israel completing some work and of course visiting and shnuggling with my family. I know I’m pretty spoiled here in America, with all the culinary tools I need to create, cook/prepare, photograph and video the recipes that you find on koshereveryday.com and on my social media sites. Cooking in a smaller kitchen, in Israel, is a whole other experience. I was blessed to be able to prepare this recipe my my “machatanim” (parents of my Dear Daughter-in-Law), and they even were up to doing a fabulous tasting of the finished Grilled Tahini Honey Chicken, but I ended up having a great time figuring out how to “make-do” with the tools I had.
Perfect for everyone!
Ingredients for Grilled Tahini Honey Chicken – All locally sourced from the best place on the planet!
Some of the challenges and benefits of making the recipe in Israel.
I had a few challenges, but they really weren’t a big deal at all.
The Challenges
- I was at the mercy of the family shoppers, but was exceptionally grateful for the purchases they made… even if they were slightly different from what I actually needed lol.
- I ended up with boneless chicken breasts instead of thighs, doubled the recipe as a result of the amount of chicken breasts that were purchased.
- My Dear Family does not have a grill on their mirpeset (balcony) on their 6th floor apartment in Ra’anana, so we pulled out Dear Son’s brand spankin’ new grill pan and broke it in.
- The kitchen was kind of small so it was just me and Dear Daughter in Law. Anyone else would have gotten poked in the face with my elbow 😀
- The Israeli burner I used is not like my American one, and it was a little more challenging to maintain the proper cooking temperature.
- Whatever mixing, cutting, measuring tools that were available are what I used. Not what I’m used to, but we totally made do.
The BIG benefits
- I got to make this recipe with my family and was able to do a fantastic tasting with them. It was SO special and fun and it felt very heartwarming doing it with them.
- Smaller makes things cozy 😉
- The ingredients I used were all sourced from Israeli companies and markets. The products were super authentic, fresh and great tasting! I was SO excited to be able to use pure honey, olive oil, tahini made in Israel from Israeli beehives, olives and sesame seeds… and lemons grown in Israel too!
- When I was in Machaneh Yehuda in my favorite spice store, my dear friend Chaim was selling gorgeous fresh, loose, purple sumac! It’s perfect for finishing the dish.
The benefits 100% outweighed the challenges.
Pure Sumac from Machaneh Yehuda.
Making Grilled Tahini Honey Chicken
The original recipe calls for boneless chicken thighs. Since my happy shoppers bought me boneless chicken breasts that’s what I used. They turned out great, so I changed the name of the recipe from Grilled Tahini Honey Chicken Thighs to Grilled Tahini Honey Chicken.
Using boneless chicken thighs might make the chicken ever so slightly moister, but I don’t think the difference will be huge and would totally be up to you.
This recipe is seriously simple to make and doubling it was a breeze. I strongly recommend doubling it if you’re making it for a Rosh Hashanah meal. The leftovers reheated were outstanding.
I strongly recommend making at least a double batch!!
There are even instructions for preparing the recipe using alternative cooking methods which I’ll include below.
Here’s the Recipe for Grilled Tahini Honey Chicken
I’ve made this recipe several times and loved it each time. If you’re a lemon person (like my Dear Daughter in Law and her entire family!) feel free to add more lemon. I also found that it doesn’t really matter if you use boneless chicken thighs or breasts, but haven’t tried it bone in.
Grilled Tahini Honey Chicken
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Gluten Free
- Diet: Kosher
Description
When I saw the recipe for Grilled Tahini Honey Chicken, I knew it would be perfect for Rosh Hashanah (and year round too!). Loaded with sweet, traditional honey, and earthy, nutty tahini it’s a twist on the traditional flavors of the Holiday. And bonus! It’s grilled!!
This recipe originates on the New York Times Cooking site under Grilled Tahini-Honey Chicken Thighs. Here is what they said about it:
“Simple and impactful, this pantry marinade made from lemon, honey, tahini and olive oil gives chicken a subtle nutty flavor and imparts a gorgeous color — and caramelization — thanks to the honey’s sugar content. You can cook this chicken one of three ways: on the grill, in the oven or a skillet; all options lead to sensational results. Flavorful but versatile, this chicken pairs with almost anything. You could serve a refreshing green salad or grilled vegetables on the side, or tuck the chicken into a toasted pita with avocado, cucumbers and crumbled feta. Sprinkling sumac on the cooked chicken or adding it to the sauce will add extra depth and citrusy notes.”
Ingredients
- 2 large lemons, halved
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for cooking
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
- salt
- 1 or 2 sprigs parsley or cilantro leaves and tender stems, gently torn or chopped
- sumac (optional), for garnishing
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
(Instructions directly from the NYT Grilled Tahini-Honey Chicken Thighs recipe)
- Into a large bowl, juice 1 lemon, then whisk together with the tahini, honey and olive oil until smooth. Transfer half the mixture to a small serving bowl. Season the chicken all over with salt and add to the large bowl; toss to coat.
- To grill the chicken, set a grill to medium-high. (If you’d like to cook the chicken in the oven or a skillet, see Tip.) Generously oil the grates, then add the chicken and cook until the bottom is charred, 5 to 8 minutes. Use tongs to turn over the thighs and continue to grill until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes depending on the size of the chicken pieces; turn thighs over again if necessary. Move thighs to a cooler part of the grill if browning too quickly.
- Remove chicken from grill and let cool 1 to 2 minutes. Taste the reserved sauce and season as needed with salt, and loosen the consistency by adding half the lemon juice or a tablespoon of water. Squeeze the remaining lemon half over the chicken, drizzle with the sauce or serve on the side, and garnish with the parsley and sumac, if using.
Equipment
All-Clad Hard Anodized Nonstick Square Grill Cookware, 11-Inch
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Cuisinart CIT-102 Locking Grill Tongs
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Cuisinart GG30-20 GreenGourmet Hard-Anodized Nonstick 11-Inch Square Grill Pan
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NutriChef 20″x13″ Stove Top Grill Pan – Double Burner, Hard-Anodized Non stick Grill & Griddle Pan
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Weber Genesis S-415 Liquid Propane Gas Grill for Outdoor Grilling, 4 Burners, Stainless Steel
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Weber SPIRIT 3-Burner Grill E-325 Liquid Propane Black
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I didn’t end up reserving any of the sauce and had mixed it all in the chicken before grilling. Feel free to reserve half the sauce for after grilling. Both are good.
I strongly recommend doubling (or tripling) this recipe. Everyone loves it and it is also great reheated for another meal (bonus!).
NYT: This chicken recipe can be cooked on the grill, in the oven or on the stovetop. If you’d like to roast the chicken, heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and add 1 tablespoon of oil, spreading to coat. Add the chicken in a single layer and roast until cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size of the thighs. If you’d like to cook the chicken on the stovetop, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy 12-inch skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Decrease heat to medium, and, working in two batches, sauté the chicken until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the thighs, flipping after 7 to minutes when they easily release from the pan.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 11.8 g
- Sodium: 678.5 mg
- Fat: 18.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.7 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 17.8 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
More great Rosh Hashanah Recipes
LOOKING FOR EVEN MORE ROSH HASHANAH RECIPES!!!
CHECK OUT THE KOSHER EVERYDAY AMAZON INFLUENCER STOREFRONT!
I’m excited to announce the launch of my brand, spankin’ new, Amazon Influencer storefront. The purpose of this store is to share with you all of my favorite tools, ingredients and accessories that I use on Kosher Everyday. If there’s something you’d like to see please let me know and I’ll make sure to add it. I’m updating the storefront all the time. I’ve put together a complete Gluten Free Challah Storefront with everything you need to make fabulous Gluten Free Challah!Additionally there is a brand new Rosh Hashanah Storefront with fun and beautiful items to help enhance your holiday!
Apple Challah Board Fruit Tray!!!
Dried Fruit Gift Basket – the tray turns into a Challah basket!
You can also find awesome Decorative Serving and Kitchen Items right here.
I’d love to hear what you think!
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