Chicken Zohar

This is not, strictly speaking, an authentic dish from Israel. Rather, it’s one I developed to celebrate the birth of a child, using ingredients that reflected the Israeli experience.

When I was in school we had some Israeli friends. When she had her first child, a daughter, she named her Zohar, which translates as “Splendor.” It was taken from part of the full title of the Book of kabella---the Hebrew book of mysticism.

What I set out to do was use the bright flavors of Israel---the sun, and the produce, and the way they had made the dessert bloom. In short, a dish of splendor, reflecting both the girl and the country.

This is also the first actual recipe I ever developed from conception to implementation, so I was always a bit proud of it.

Through the years, as my own skills improved and changes were made in ingredients, I modified the recipe slightly. For instance, I originally used Sabra, a liquor made in Israel. When first introduced, Sabra was an orange liquor with a hint of chocolate. When I went to buy some recently I discovered that it is now a chocolate liquor with a touch of orange. So I now use Grand Marnier into which I infuse a pinch of cocoa powder. Triple Sec or other orange liquors would work as well.

Anyway, here is the recipe. Some of the ingredients are estimates, cuz I just eyeball them:

Chicken Zohar

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3-4 tbls flour
4 tsp za’taar, divided use*
1 ½ cups fresh orange juice
1 tbls honey or to taste
1 tbls arrowroot dissolved in 1 tbls orange juice
2 tbls orange liquor to which has been added a pinch of sweetened cocoa powder
Supremes cut from two oranges or clementines
Oil for frying

Separate the tenders from the breasts. Remove all fat and connective tissue (don’t forget the silver skin that lies under the tenders).   Pound breasts slightly to make them as evenly thick as possible. Don’t overdo this; you don’t want the pieces particularly thin; just equally thick for even cooking. Cut breasts into pieces 1 ½-2 inches square.

Heat a film of oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.

Mix the flour with 1 tablespoon za’taar. Dust the chicken pieces, including the tenders, in the flour mix, shaking off any excess. Pan fry the chicken, working in batches if necessary, until chicken is browned on both sides and cooked through. Transfer to a platter and keep warm.

Add the juice, honey, and remaining za’taar to the pan and reduce to one cup. Stir in the arrowroot slurry and continue cooking until mixture starts to thicken. Stir in the liquor and supremes, cooking just long enough for the supremes to warm though and the alcohol to burn off.

Return chicken to the pan to finish cooking, turning to assure all sides are coated with the sauce and the chicken is hot.

I usually serve this by arranging the chicken pieces on a bed of rice, with extra sauce on the side. Originally I added a sprig of eucalyptus as a garnish. This provided extra color and aroma, and reflected the Israeli use of eucalyptus to soak up the marshes and turn them into productive land. I no longer do this, only because I’ve gotten away from non-edible garnishes. But it does make a nice touch.

*Za’taar (under various spellings) is a mixture of wild thyme (sometimes majoram), sesame seeds, and sumac. The thyme, itself, is named za’taar as well, and is the hyssop of the Bible. For instance, before the exodus from Egypt the Hebrews brushed their lintels with lambs blood, using “hyssop” branches as brushes. The mistranslated hyssop actually was za’taar.
     Za’taar mix is readily available from shops selling Mid-Eastern foodstuffs, and from other spice shops as well.

Yeah, cornstarch can be subbed. There are slight differences in how they behave, and in the look of the finished product, but nothing really unusual.

Delightful dish ... Thank you for posting.

No reason it wouldn't, Melissa.

I think, though, that I'd do an orange reduction and substitute it for the liquor, just to intensify the flavor a bit. But even that is probably not necessary.

Aharon: Yeah, I found it very disappointing that Sabra had changed its formulation. Probably marketing reasons for it. But, still, nothing I know of quite compared to the original.

Dasi---Zohar's mother---put the lie to why native born are called Sabras. The idea being that, like the cactus, they are thorny on the outside, soft on the inside. But she was soft and sweet all around. :>)