This lemony chicken tray bake is flavourful, tangy and super-satisfying

For Rachel Simons, the humble sesame seed is more than an ingredient – it’s a global connection. The Sydney native travelled the world before settling in New York City to launch Seed + Mill alongside co-founders Lisa Mendelson and Monica Molenaar.

Entirely devoted to the versatility of sesame, the shop has earned a cult following for its tahini soft-serve and halva by the slice. This success culminated in Simons’ debut cookbook, Sesame, a collection of more than 80 recipes celebrating the ingredient’s rich influence across international cultures.

As one of the world’s oldest oilseed crops, sesame was first cultivated on the Indian subcontinent 5500 years ago. Since then, it has traversed the map, weaving itself into ancient culinary traditions and now, contemporary kitchens.

“I am fascinated by sesame’s storied history, as it moved from place to place, establishing roots in so many global culinary traditions,” she writes in the collection.

Here, Simons shares a golden chicken tray bake drizzled with walnut tahini tarator that works perfectly for any casual get-together.

– Megan Johnston

Chicken for lemon lovers with tarator

This is a flavourful, tangy, super-satisfying dish. It’s great for a casual lunch or dinner but works equally well for entertaining, given how gorgeous all the colours will look at your table. Once plated, the tarator sauce will start to meld into the chicken juices, so make sure to serve it with a side of roast potatoes, rice or cous cous to slurp up all that flavour! I often add a little ground turmeric to give the chicken a pretty golden colour, but you can omit it if you like. The sauce can be made two days in advance and kept in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 tbsp salt
• freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tbsp for searing
• 2 lemons, zested and sliced into rounds
• ½ tsp turmeric (optional)
• 3 eschalots (French shallots), sliced into rings

Tarator and toppings

• walnut tahini tarator (see recipe below), at room temperature
• 2 tbsp toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
• 1-2 tbsp black and white sesame seeds, for garnish

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan-forced (190C conventional).
2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Transfer to a medium bowl and combine with the salt, several grinds of pepper, ¼ cup of the olive oil, and lemon zest. If desired, add the turmeric to give the chicken a pretty, golden hue. Use your hands to toss the chicken pieces in the seasoning until coated (wear gloves or wash your hands immediately after this step, or they will be stained by the turmeric).
3. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Place the chicken thighs in the oil skin-side down and cook until the skin has started to brown, 2-3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
4. Line a rimmed baking tray with baking paper. Spread out the shallots and lemon rounds evenly and top with the chicken thighs skin-side up. Cover the tray with aluminium foil and roast for 25-30 minutes. Remove the foil and roast for a further 5-10 minutes to give the chicken a crispier skin.
5. To serve, place the chicken, lemon rounds, and shallots on a bed of rice or couscous and pour any pan juices over the top. Drizzle the walnut tahini tarator over the chicken and garnish with the walnuts and a sprinkle of black and white sesame seeds.

Serves 4

Walnut tahini tarator

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup toasted walnuts, slightly cooled
• ½ cup tahini
• ¾ cup water, or more as needed
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper

METHOD

1. In a food processor, blitz the walnuts to a fine meal (a little bit of texture is also fine if you prefer your sauce chunky).
2. Add the water, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper to the food processor and pulse until your desired consistency is achieved, adding more water, a little at a time, if necessary, to loosen.

Makes about 1½ cups

This is an edited extract from Sesame: Global Recipes + Stories of an Ancient Seed by Rachel Simons. Photography by Alan Benson. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. RRP $49.99