Za'atar Chicken Tacos With Sumac Onions and Tahini Crema

A taco is a delivery mechanism with rules. Something rich and hot, something sharp and pickled, something creamy, something fresh, all inside bread small enough to eat standing up.

Levantine cooking answers every one of those requirements without ever having been asked. Za'atar gives the herbal savoury base, sumac onions do the pickled work, tahini is the creamy element, and flatbread is already the regional vehicle. Swap the flatbread for a corn tortilla and very little has to change.

Za'atar chicken tacos are a recognised part of the MENA fusion repertoire rather than a novelty, appearing in surveys of the category alongside harissa lamb sliders and shakshuka grain bowls, as this guide to fusion cuisines notes and Bahrain Confidential covers in its round up of Arabic fusion cooking. The principle worth keeping, as Culinary Arts Switzerland puts it, is that fusion is editing rather than piling flavours together. There is no cumin here fighting the za'atar, and no soy sauce anywhere near it.

Ingredients

Serves 4, making about 12 tacos. Total time: 40 minutes plus 30 minutes marinating.

• 700 g boneless chicken thighs, skinless
• 3 tbsp za'atar
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp salt
• 12 small corn tortillas
• 1 large red onion, sliced as thinly as you can manage
• 1 tbsp sumac
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 90 g tahini, well stirred
• 120 g thick yoghurt
• 2 tbsp cold water, plus more to loosen
• 1 small cucumber, diced
• A large handful of flat leaf parsley and mint, roughly torn
• Pickled green chillies, to serve

Method

1. Combine the za'atar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Coat the chicken thighs thoroughly and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to overnight.
2. Make the sumac onions first so they have time to soften. Toss the sliced onion with the sumac, vinegar and a good pinch of salt, then squeeze it firmly with your hands for a few seconds. Set aside and stir occasionally: it needs 20 minutes minimum.
3. Whisk the tahini, yoghurt and cold water together with a pinch of salt. It will seize and look ruined when the water goes in. Keep whisking and it comes back smooth. Add water until it pours in a thick ribbon.
4. Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle over medium high until properly hot. Cook the thighs 5 to 6 minutes on the first side without moving them, until deeply browned.
5. Turn and cook another 4 to 5 minutes, to an internal temperature of 74C. Za'atar contains sesame and dried herbs that scorch easily, so pull the pan off the heat rather than pushing for more colour.
6. Rest the chicken 5 minutes on a board, then slice across the grain into thick strips. Resting is not optional; sliced straight from the pan it loses its juices onto the board.
7. Warm the tortillas in the same pan, 20 to 30 seconds a side, until soft and lightly blistered. Keep them wrapped in a clean cloth as you go.
8. Build each taco with chicken, a spoon of tahini crema, sumac onions, cucumber, herbs and a pickled chilli. Serve immediately, with the remaining crema on the table.

Why thighs and not breast

Chicken thigh carries more connective tissue and intramuscular fat than breast, which means it tolerates the high heat this dish needs without drying out.