Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken – Al Aseel

3 weeks ago 11

Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken - Al Aseel copycat

This Lemon Garlic Chicken is simply a copycat of a signature crockery astatine Al Aseel, a fashionable Lebanese edifice successful Sydney. Tender marinated chickenhearted smothered successful a peculiar citrus ail sauce, it’s outrageously bully and making it astatine location is easy!

Al Aseel’s Lemon Garlic Chicken

Al Aseel proudly declares itself to be “Sydney’s champion Lebanese restaurant” – a bold claim, but who americium I to argue? I haven’t personally tried every Lebanese spot successful Sydney (though that sounds similar a situation I’d happily accept!).

What I bash cognize is that their signature Lemon Garlic Chicken has a spot of a cult following, and erstwhile a scholar asked maine to recreate it, I was blessed to oblige.

Plus, it turned retired to beryllium amazingly casual to recreate. A bully reprieve aft the 48 versions it took to make past weeks’ Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Yogurt marinade and yogurt sauce

The cardinal constituent successful this Al Aseel copycat look is yogurt. It’s utilized successful the garlicky marinade (yogurt is an fantabulous flavour carrier, arsenic Greek Gyros fans tin attest) , it makes the flavour instrumentality to the chickenhearted arsenic it sears, and it’s the basal of the creamy ail citrus condiment that smothers the chicken.

By the way, the Lemon Garlic Yogurt Sauce is served warm, which mightiness dependable a spot antithetic (warm yogurt??), but delight trust. I thought the aforesaid the archetypal clip I tried this crockery astatine Al Aseel, and blessed to find I was wholly incorrect – it’s fabulous!

Ingredients successful Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken

Here’s what you request to marque this.

For the marinade

I don’t cognize if Al Aseel uses a yogurt marinade, but it’s an fantabulous flavour bearer and tenderiser. The chickenhearted is truthful juicy inside, you volition beryllium amazed. (Juicier than astatine the restaurant).

Chicken tenderloin – speedy and casual to chopped into the close signifier truthful they beryllium level connected the pan, and the finished crockery looks similar Al Aseel’s. It’s besides much tender than chickenhearted breast, though you tin usage bosom successful a pinch (the marinade does wonders with tenderising). Thighs besides work, though they aren’t arsenic azygous successful signifier arsenic tenderloin oregon breast.
Yogurt – Greek oregon plain yogurt, unsweetened, is an fantabulous flavour bearer for marinades to get the ail infused each the mode done each piece. It besides creates a bully coating truthful the tasty flavours sticks to the aboveground of the chicken. Full abdominous please!
Lemon – The acerb successful the marinade that helps tenderise, arsenic good arsenic adding tangy citrus flavour.
Olive lipid – To adhd a spot of richness and dilute the acidity of the citrus a spot truthful it doesn’t “cook” the chicken.
Salt and pepper – for seasoning the chicken.

The citrus ail sauce

Make this portion you’ve got everything retired for the marinade due to the fact that it uses the aforesaid ingredients! In fact, the flavour successful the condiment needs clip to meld truthful needs to beryllium made astatine slightest 1 hr ahead.

Yogurt – Using afloat abdominous is indispensable here. Low abdominous has a “watery” mouthfeel to it.
Tahini – I don’t deliberation Al Aseel uses tahini, I deliberation they premix yogurt with toum which is simply a Lebanese ail dip made with a batch of oil. A tiny magnitude of tahini alternatively provides mouthfeel richness without overtaking the condiment with sesame flavour.
Olive lipid – To springiness the condiment a spot of richness.
Garlic – Unusually, I’m going to inquire you to measured the ail utilizing teaspoons due to the fact that earthy ail successful a condiment similar this tin beryllium rather harsh. I usage 3/4 teaspoons of finely grated oregon ail minced utilizing a ail press. If utilizing a knife, finely chop past smear the ail connected the committee utilizing the broadside of the weapon to marque a paste, past measure.
Water – To bladed the condiment slightly, to marque it drizzle-able (is that a word?).
Salt and pepper – For seasoning.

Salt note: the look calls for 1 spoon of brackish successful each the marinade and sauce. I started with little but felt it was nether salted for both, past kept dialling it up and landed connected a spoon for each. It’s not salty, I promise.

How to marque Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken

Marinating clip aside, it’s really precise speedy due to the fact that there’s not that galore ingredients!

Marinade chicken for 12 to 24 hours. Beyond 24 hours, there’s diminishing returns (ie other clip doesn’t marque it much tender oregon much flavourful) truthful portion good to support it for 2 days successful the fridge, beyond that I’d frost it instead.
Cook – Drain disconnected the excess marinade retired of the vessel past navigator the chickenhearted pieces for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes connected each broadside until golden. I bash it successful 2 batches due to the fact that if you clutter the pan, the chickenhearted volition spell watery and braise alternatively of sear. We privation the aureate colour!
PS The look calls for the pieces to beryllium chopped reasonably ample due to the fact that each portion is turned 1 astatine a time. It’s a symptom individually turning loads of tiny pieces!

Rest – Transfer the cooked chickenhearted onto a sheet and aft the 2nd batch is cooked, fto it remainder for 2 minutes. This resting clip allows the juices to settee backmost into the chickenhearted fibres truthful you get truly juicy chickenhearted soma inside. You volition beryllium surprised. I was!
Lemon ail sauce – This is arsenic casual arsenic mixing the ingredients together, mounting speech for astatine slightest an hr to fto the ail flavour meld, past heating the condiment mildly lone to lukewarm successful the microwave.
However, due to the fact that the ingredients successful the condiment are the aforesaid arsenic the chickenhearted marinade, it’s rather useful to conscionable premix it up astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic the marinade past conscionable refrigerate it until required.

Plating up – Al Aseel style! Pour fractional the yogurt condiment into a shallow vessel oregon a plate. Then transportation the chickenhearted onto the condiment utilizing a spatula oregon spoon – don’t determination it them disconnected the sheet arsenic the resting juices connected the sheet tarnish your sparkling achromatic sauce.
Garnish – Top with remaining yogurt sauce, drizzle with olive lipid and decorativeness with a pinch of parsley. Then serve!

How to service Al Aseel’s Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken

For me, Lebanese breadstuff for condiment mopping is simply a must, positive past you besides person the enactment to marque wraps stuffed with the tasty chickenhearted pieces smothered successful the citrus ail sauce. Rice is besides a bully option. Basmati would beryllium my prime though immoderate plain rice would enactment (there’s surely plentifulness of condiment for atom soaking).

If you’re aft thing much adventurous connected the atom front, effort Mejadra (Middle Eastern spiced lentil rice), Garlic rice oregon Rice Pilaf with Nuts and Dried Fruit.

Add a perky caller crockery connected the broadside (try Lebanese Fattoush oregon this Ottolenghi one, sometimes I skip the chickpeas), and a fabulous Lebanese feast astatine location is wholly wrong scope adjacent connected a midweek! And if determination are immoderate die-hard Al Aseel fans speechmaking this, I’d emotion to cognize however you deliberation my mentation stacks up. – Nagi x

PS I omitted dessert – due to the fact that I don’t person immoderate strictly accepted Lebanese dessert recipes – though Baklava, Persian Love Cake oregon Pistachio Cake would beryllium my picks if I were looking to impress.

Watch however to marque it

Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken – Al Aseel copycat

Recipe video above. A copycat of a signature crockery astatine Al Aseel, a fashionable Lebanese edifice successful Sydney! Chicken is marinated successful a bold lemon-garlic yogurt mix, past smothered successful a garlicky citrus yogurt sauce. Warm yogurt whitethorn dependable unusual, but 1 wound volition triumph you over! Serve with pita breadstuff and Fattoush.

PS. Please measurement the ail – excessively overmuch is harsh, excessively small is sad.

PPS. The brackish mightiness look a lot, but delight trust, it's not salty!

Course Main

Cuisine lebanese

Keyword lebanese chicken, citrus ail chicken

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings – 4 people

Calories 285cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

500g/ 1lb chicken tenderloin (or breast), chopped into 4cm / 1.5″ squares, ample vein chopped retired (Note 1)

Lemon ail marinade:

4 tbsp Greek oregon plain yogurt
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp garlic , finely grated oregon crushed utilizing ail property (~4 large cloves)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cooking brackish / kosher salt (1/2 tsp array salt, 1 1/4 tsp flakes)

Lemon ail yogurt sauce:

1 cup Greek oregon plain yogurt , afloat abdominous indispensable here!
3/4 tsp garlic , finely grated oregon crushed utilizing ail property (~1 clove)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp tahini (hulled), oregon other 1 tbsp olive lipid (Note 3)
1 tbsp+ water
1 tsp cooking brackish / kosher salt (1/2 tsp array salt, 1 1/4 tsp flakes)

Cooking & serving:

2 tbsp olive oil , for cooking
1 tsp parsley , astir chopped (or adjacent amounts mint and parsley)
Lemon wedges and other virgin olive oil , for garnish
Lebanese bread for condiment mopping (recommended)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

ABBREVIATED RECIPE:

Marinade chickenhearted 12 – 24 hrs. Cook successful 2 batches. Whisk sauce, remainder 1 hr, lukewarm conscionable earlier serving. Smother chicken, serve!

FULL RECIPE:

Marinade – Mix the marinade ingredients successful a bowl. Add the chicken, flip to overgarment past refrigerate to marinate for 12 – 24 hours (Note 2).
Sauce – Put the condiment ingredients successful a microwaveable vessel and whisk to combine. Set speech for 1 hr + to fto the ail flavour meld. (Note 4)
Cook chickenhearted – Drain disconnected excess marinade from the chicken. Heat 1 tbsp lipid successful a ample non instrumentality cookware implicit precocious heat. Place fractional the chickenhearted successful and navigator for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes connected each broadside until golden. Remove onto a plate.
Repeat – Scrape retired / astir hitch escaped achromatic bits retired of the pan. Reheat remaining lipid and navigator remaining chicken. Rest for 2 minutes.
Warm condiment – While the chickenhearted is resting, microwave for 40 seconds to lukewarm (but not hot) past springiness it a bully whisk. Taste and adhd much citrus for tangier, oregon much h2o to loosen (some yogurts are thicker than others).
Serving – Spread fractional the condiment successful a shallow bowl. Use a spatula to transportation the chickenhearted onto the yogurt. Spoon implicit remaining sauce, decorativeness with a swish of olive lipid and sprinkle of parsley. Serve!

Notes

1. Tenderloin – I chopped larger pieces into 4 and smaller into 3, don’t chopped excessively small, symptom to crook truthful galore pieces implicit 1 by one. Cut the heavy achromatic vein retired of the portion from the thicker extremity (it gets thinner truthful it doesn’t fuss maine successful the different pieces).

Breast – chopped the tiny pointy extremity disconnected (that tin beryllium 1 piece) past portion the remainder lengthways into 1.5cm / 0.6″ heavy slices, past into 4cm/1.5″ squares.
Boneless thighs besides work. Cut oregon adjacent navigator them full (you could bash astir 750g/1.5lb)

2. Marinating time – up to 48 hrs is good but beyond 24 hrs doesn’t adhd anything. Absolute minimum is 3 hrs though evidently not rather arsenic tender, it inactive has bully flavour connected the surface.

3. Tahini – Don’t deliberation Al Aseel uses tahini, I deliberation they premix yogurt with toum which is simply a Lebanese ail dip made with a batch of oil. A tiny magnitude of tahini alternatively provides mouthfeel richness without overwhelming sesame flavour. Substitute with an other 1 tbsp of olive oil.

4. Sauce – I usually marque it astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic the marinade past support it successful the fridge overnight. If I lone permission it for 1 hour, I conscionable permission connected the counter.

Leftovers volition support 3 days successful the fridge.

Making ahead – Chicken tin beryllium mixed successful marinade and enactment successful freezer consecutive away, it volition marinade portion thawing overnight. Sauce tin beryllium mixed the time before, refrigerate past lukewarm earlier serving.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings and each the condiment is consumed.

Nutrition

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The station Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken – Al Aseel appeared archetypal connected RecipeTin Eats.

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