Za’atar Schnitzel Pita
With Israeli and North African roots, this dish hits home for me and I’m sure you’ll love this recipe as much as I do!
Everyone loves a variation of crispy fried chicken and this one, for me, is one of the best! Amazing pita from @angelbakeries elevates this sandwich to restaurant quality and we use their pita for tons of catering events for @blendcateringreno so check out the video and let us know what you think!
Schnitzel:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, pounded out slightly
- 1 cup AP flour
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- Salt to season
- ½ cup zaatar spice (RESERVE 1 TEASPOON)
- 3 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
1. Very lightly, dredge your chicken thighs in the ap flour and a little salt and make sure to remove any excess flour, to ensure a light and thin coating.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together your eggs, a pinch of salt and the buttermilk and add in your dredged chicken thighs. Make sure to coat every part of the thigh in the egg mixture to ensure your breadcrumbs in the next step stick to the chicken.
3. In a third bowl, whisk together your panko, cornstarch, zaatar, extra sesame seeds and ground cumin and add in your thighs, one at a time, making sure to really press down each thigh into the breadcrumb mixture to ensure your thighs are flat and evenly coated. I highly recommend breading all of your thighs at least 3 hours, or overnight, and left in the fridge uncovered, before you need to fry them. This ensures the breading has time to hydrate and it will make your schnitzel extra crispy, and stay crispy for longer, after frying
4. In your deep fryer, set the temperature to 335 degrees Fahrenheit and begin frying when it comes up to that temperature.
5. Only fry as many thighs as you can evenly fit in the fryer and fry on each side for 3 minutes
6. Remove from the fryer and immediately season with salt and your reserved zaatar
7. Season as well with fresh lemon juice but only right before serving!
Pita:
- We highly recommend Angel Bakeries pita bread. But, you can easily use the pita of your choice!
Preserved lemon tahini:
- 1 cup tahini
- 1 tbsp preserved lemon paste
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Salt, to taste
- 1-1.5 cups ice cold water
1. In a medium sized mixing bowls, add all of your ingredients to the bowl and whisk until fully emulsified. It will, at first, look like the sauce is broken. But don’t worry, it will come back together and emulsify as long as you keep whisking!
Harissa mayo:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¾ cup harissa paste
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried Aleppo chili flakes
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
1. Add all of your ingredients to a tall cup or deli quart container (HIGHLY RECOMMEND!) and blend until smooth and emulsified
Cabbage salad:
- ¼ head of cabbage, core removed, sliced very thin
- ½ red onion, peeled, sliced very thin
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- Salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons ground sumac
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ bunch mint leaves, torn or sliced
- ½ bunch chives, sliced thin
- ½ bunch dill, torn or sliced thin
- ½ bunch parsley, torn or sliced thin
1. In a medium sized bowl, add all of your ingredients and mix well to combine
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