Lebanese grilled chicken with garlic sauce is a gourmet treat. You need to plan ahead as the secret to this dish is in the marinade. It is best to leave it overnight for best results. Chicken is loved in Lebanon as well as lamb. Once grilled you end up with lemony, garlicky, juicy, tender delicious chicken. It is served with a garlic sauce that is similar to an aoli and called toum. The sauce is also wonderful with the spicy potatoes we enjoyed with our Lebanese feast. The sauce would be great with many things. Try some and let me know what you can up with.
Lebanese Grilled Chicken with Garlic Sauce (Djej Mishwe)
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 4 pieces of leg quarters with skin
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup red vinegar can also use apple cider vinegar
- 1 garlic head
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Lebanese 7 spice blend
- 1 lemon sliced
- For the garlic sauce
- 3 heads of peeled garlic
- 4 cups vegetable oil or canola oil
- 1 lemon freshly juiced
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- make a few slits in the chicken pieces to penetrate the marinade
- In a blender or food processor, grind the garlic with the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, 7-spices for couple of minutes. Add in the olive oil and blend together for another minute.
- Place the chicken in a ziploc or bowl along with some lemon slices, and pour the marinade over it. Cover if using a bowl and place in the refrigerator overnight. When you are ready to cook the chicken reserve the marinade to baste the chicken on the grill.
- Grill the marinated chicken over medium heat about 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
- Be sure to use the marinade to baste the chicken occasionally while grilling.
- Grill the lemon pieces as well.
- Serve the chicken with garlic sauce and some spicy Lebanese potatoes.
- For the sauce.
- This is tricky and must be done very slowly to ensure success.
- Do not lesson the amount of garlic as you need the full three heads to make sure it turns into a paste.
- Add the garlic and salt into the food processor and run for 20 seconds.
- Stop and scrape the garlic down from the sides of the processor, repeat at least 3-4 times until it turns into a paste.
- Turn your processor on at this point until the end.
- Start adding in the oil VERY SLOWLY in a thin stream only 1/2 cup at a time. You will see the garlic to start to emulsify. Add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice again very slowly.
- Repeat 1/2 cup of oil and then 1/2 teaspoon of lemon until done. The whole trick is to make sure that the sauce stays emulsified and does not turn into a liquid. That occurs when the liquid is added to fast. I am not aware of any remedies if that occurs other than starting over. The process will take at least 8 to 10 minutes working slowly as required. Once done enjoy with the grilled chicken and potatoes. It can be stored in the refrigerator.
