This Sumac Chicken recipe with lemon and potatoes is bursting with flavor! A delicious one-pan Middle Eastern dinner your whole family will love!

Every creative act involves a leap into the void. In the midst of a leap, there are no guarantees. To leap can often cause acute embarrassment. Embarrassment is a partner in the creative act—a key collaborator.
ANNE BOGART
Why You’ll Love This!
This sumac chicken brings me back home to my Egyptian father’s way of cooking- simple and rustic with savory Middle Eastern flavors. Juicy and flavorful, the tangy earthy chicken infuses the potatoes with so much goodness! I have such happy memories of my dad making this dish, he loved to cook!
The secret is in the spice! Sumac is a very unique spice- it tastes lemony and tart with surprising depth and complexity. It is often used in Middle Eastern recipes, added to everything from meat rubs and kebabs to salads and dips, giving dishes a flavorful, tangy brightness.

Sumac chicken Ingredients
- Chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in: Or use bone-in chicken legs.
- Sumac: With its unique lemony, tart, rich, and complex flavor, there is really no substitute for this!
- Lemons: Use Meyer lemons if you can find them. You’ll need both lemon juice and a thinly sliced lemon. Meyer lemons are worth searching for, but if they are not in season, use regular lemons.
- Fresh Garlic cloves: Grated garlic is used in the marinade to enhance its aromatic flavor.
- Red onion: Sliced red onions add a pop of color and delicious sweet, caramelized flavor.
- Potatoes: Use thin-skinned potatoes. Optional, but add an extra bit of heartiness to the dish!
- Other spices: Allspice, dried thyme, cumin, black pepper, and kosher salt.
- Fresh thyme: Place on the lemon slices during baking to create an herby, fragrant aroma.
- Garnishes: More fresh thyme, fresh parsley, and Aleppo pepper (or chili flakes).
How to Make Roasted Sumac Chicken
Step one: Make the sumac spice paste. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, Meyer lemon juice, sumac, allspice, dried thyme, cumin, pepper, garlic, and salt.

Step two: prep the chicken. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Cut small slits in the skin to allow more of the marinade penetrate. Rub the spice mixture over each chicken piece, coating all sides. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours. Remove from the fridge and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.


Step three: Assemble. Preheat oven to 425F. Spread lemon slices across the bottom of the baking pan, rimmed baking sheet, or large braiser. Place a few sprigs of thyme on the lemon slices, then place the chicken, skin side up, on top.


Step four: add optional potatoes. Toss potatoes and onion slices together in a large bowl with salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Tuck the potatoes and onions around the chicken.

Step five: Bake! Place the pan on the middle rack and roast 25 minutes. Rotate the pan, then bake 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. The chicken should reach 170F in the thigh, and the skin will be brown. Increase the crispiness by broiling for a few minutes if you wish! Just be sure to keep an eye on it.
Step six: Serve with a drizzle of sauce from the pan, fresh parsley and thyme sprigs, and a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper if desired.

Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Serving Suggestions
Sumac Chicken pairs perfectly with zaatar rice, Middle Eastern rice, homemade pita bread or Lebanese flatbread.
Serve it with a salad like our Tabouli salad, Fattoush Salad, Lebanese Slaw or our favorite Lentil Salad.

FAQs
Sumac has a tangy, lemony taste with a sour, acidic flavor. It has surprising depth and complexity!
It tastes wonderful when used in a marinade like this one, but we also love using sumac on roasted veggies or sprinkled over avocado toast, a hard boiled egg, or hummus.
You can mix sumac into marinades like we do here, or combine it with other spices for roasted and grilled meats or vegetables.
It is really worth searching to find it because there is no ideal substitute—it is just that unique! However, lemon pepper or za’atar could work.
💫So there you have it… one of my favorite Middle Eastern chicken recipes! Healthy and easy, this takes just 20 minutes of hands-on time! I hope you enjoy this- please let us know what you think in the comments below. Very appreciated! 🙏
Sylvia~xoxo
More Middle Eastern Chicken Recipes!
Love Middle Eastern food? Here are all of our Middle Eastern Recipes!

Sumac Chicken Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- marinate: 60 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 4-6
- Category: Main, chicken recipes, dinner ideas,
- Method: baked, roasted
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Description
This Sumac Chicken recipe with lemon and potatoes is bursting with flavor! A delicious one-pan Middle Eastern meal your whole family will love! Allow 1 hour of marination time for the best flavor!
Ingredients
- 1/8 cup Meyer lemon juice, plus 1 Meyer lemon sliced thin (or use regular lemons)
- 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons sumac
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 5 cloves garlic- grated, pressed or finely minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 pounds chicken thighs, bone-in (about 6 thighs) or use legs
- 1 pound of potatoes, thin-skinned, sliced 1/8 inch rounds (potatoes are optional)
- 1 red onion, cut into thin slices
- 6–8 sprigs of fresh thyme
- Aleppo pepper- garnish ( or chili flakes)
- fresh parsley leaves coarsely chopped for serving
Instructions
- Make the marinade: In a small bowl mix olive oil, Meyer lemon juice, sumac, allspice, dried thyme, cumin, pepper, garlic and salt.
- Marinate the chicken: Pat chicken dry. Cut 2 small slits in the skin of each thigh to allow the marinade to fully penetrate. Rub each piece of chicken, coating all sides well with the sumac marinade. Cover and let marinade in the fridge 1-3 hours. Let chicken rest at room temp for 1/2 hour before baking.
- Heat the oven to 425F degrees.
- Assemble: spread lemon slices on the bottom of the baking pan. Add a few springs of thyme over the lemon slices. and place the chicken pieces, skin side up, over the sliced lemons and thyme.
- Optional potatoes: In a medium bowl, toss potatoes and onion slices with salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Tuck in the potato slices and onion in between the chicken.
- Bake the chicken: Place in the middle of a hot oven and roast for 25 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake 20 minutes more, until chicken is cooked through, reaching 170F in the thigh, and skin is brown. To increase crispiness, broil for a few minutes under careful watch so as not to burn.
- To serve: spoon a little of the sauce from the pan, over the chicken, garnish with fresh parsley, thyme sprigs and sprinkle with Aleppo pepper (optional).
Notes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece with skin
- Calories: 165
- Sugar: 1.8 g
- Sodium: 709.3 mg
- Fat: 36 g
- Saturated Fat: 8.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.9 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 30.8 g
- Cholesterol: 166.6 mg
Hi there,
I don’t care for chicken thighs or legs. Can this recipe be made successfully with chicken breasts, or is the fat from the other parts a necessary component?
Thanks!
Give it a try! You might sear them first for more flavor (if you want) and cook for less time.
I wanted to do something different with my roast chicken utilizing sone Sumac that I’d bought recently.
This recipe was simple but very flavorful and delicious! Easy to prepare on a weeknight and a hassle-free clean up. As a bonus, my house smells amazing! I will definitely be adding this into the rotation!
Great to hear!
LOVE this recipe!! So simple and delicious. The sumac takes chicken to a whole other level. I used regular lemons as that’s what I had on hand. I’ve made it numerous times introducing the sumac spice to my family and friends… a big hit! A regular dish in my rotation. Thank you.
We’re so happy you enjoyed this Margarett! Thanks for circling back and rating it for us.
Great recipe with very little effort. A large sheet pan is all that’s needed to roast the chicken and an assortment of veggies. The skin was beautifully charred, the meat was very moist, and the veggies were well caramelized from the chicken drippings. I didn’t have fresh lemons so used sliced preserved lemons and would do that again because they made a delicious edible garnish for the chicken. I added a pinch of cumin, allspice and cinnamon to the marinade, slashed the thighs a few times, and marinaded them for about 3 hours. A definite keeper!
Love it Sadie! Thanks for your notes here!
Just tried this and it was delicious. Thank you.
Incredibly quick, but oh so, so delicious. I am sure it will become a firm favourite. I served it with garlic and ginger stir fried Pak Choi and tender stem broccoli along with basmati rice -great dish.
This is excellent and easy!! We had the basmati rice with middle eastern flavors and it was fabulous! You should have a recipe section just for your father inspired meals.
Step 5 has typo
Got it, thanks Tara!
I’m making this for the 3rd time tonight. It’s delicious, and so simple!! Thank you for sharing so many wonderful recipes! I have tried dozens. Black pepper tofu is another favorite. I even bought an instant pot after reading some of your recipes! (Divine minestrone, anyone?) I am fortunate to live in NAPA, CA, where I have access to wonderful ingredients.
Glad you like this!! One of my favorites too!
First recipe with Sumac, this is delicious, I had to stop myself eating another piece, this going in the favourites book
Oh goody! Glad you liked it Nick!
No salt and pepper?? ?
In the marinade!
Hello Sylvia! Can I marinade and freeze? I’m doing meal prep and would like to marinade and freeze so when I’m ready to cook it, I’ll just thaw it and stick in the oven.
Oh interesting, we have not tried this tho seems like this would work. As long as it has time to absorb the marinade in the thawing process.
I made this the other night, but think I may have done something wrong. The chicken didn’t have the lovely color yours did, despite putting it under the broiler at the end. The lemons got soggy and the chicken seemed to be swimming in the juices so it was more like a poached chicken rather than a baked chicken. Thoughts on what could have gone wrong? Perhaps my dish was too big so the chicken wasn’t raised enough above the lemon juices? Is it because I didn’t use meyer lemons–do they get less soggy? The marinade smelled wonderful and I’d love to try this again, but would love your thoughts on how to give it more of a crust. Thanks!
Hi Janelle, I’m so sorry about that! Did you use a baking dish or a baking sheet? My guess is a baking sheet ( where the chicken is spread out) would be better in this case… but unfortunately my photos don’t reflect this. I will remake the recipe and adjust as needed. I really appreciate your feedback and we will get this figured out. Also didi you use bone-in, skin on chicken?
I had become tired of cooking recently but now feel inspired to try your amazing recipes. Have made three dishes so far and they were all delicious. Thanks for sharing so many lovely recipes, ideas and tips! Your instruction are spot on and each recipe tastes sooo good without any tweeks – which I always find necessary with other recipes. Can’t wait to try more!
Thanks Annette! Glad the dishes were a success! Always makes me feel good to hear this. All the best tot you and welcome to the blog!
I was really surprised that you didn’t serve your chicken with toom (toom).
What is toom?
It is a garlic sauce. Toom is an Arabic word meaning garlic. It’s very pungent but very delicious.
Just home after a day out. Chicken in the oven in no time at all. Looking forward to this meal very much. Thank you. I now have a new favourite website.
Thank you for visiting the blog Noelene, and I hope you enjoyed your chicken!
Where is Sumac sold? And what is the difference in taste between the lemons you use and regular lemon. I will definitely try this recipe, just need to find out where to find your lemos and sumac.. I love rice, so that would be a perfect combo.
Sumac is sold locally in Spokane at Huckleberries and the Oriental Market on Trent. If you live in a bigger city many ethnic markets, or gourmet markets that have middle eastern section will have sumac. Just call around. Meyer lemons are now out of season, but regular lemons will work great too!!
Amazon.com for the Sumac! Just ordered some!
Regular lemons are veeeerrrry tart and delicious. Meyer lemons are smaller than common ones but their perk is that you can peel them as you would a clementine and eat the sections. Each winter, once or twice, I would buy a bunch and have them in a basket on my school bus. I would let each child take one getting off and they could take them in the house and share with mom or dad. Zingy but sweet. Very, very delicious and different.
making thus again for the third time. Don’t be afraid of the Sumac. Wonderful flavours .
Thanks Helen…yes, sumac is the best and especially wonderful on chicken!
If you can’t track down sumac, try Zaatar!
The chicken looks delightful. My interest is sooooo tantalized with sumac? Never heard of it.
It sounds wonderful. I am going to have to track it down.
It’s well worth it 🙂
I found your blog via Food Gawker and have to say I am SO impressed! Your photography is beautiful and I can’t wait to start following along! I’ve never cooked with sumac but am a huge fan of citrus roasted chicken! I will have to try this out for myself and see what I’ve been missing!
Thanks for visiting and the kind words!!
I love the presentation & flavor profile you’ve used! Awesome dish!
This is such a beautiful dish! Making this would mean a lot of firsts for me, especially cooking with Sumac, and I have yet to prepare a whole chicken. But it would certainly be worth it!
Looks so delicious and simple.
Love my Middle Eastern flavours and aromatics – so this sumac chicken is perfect for me. I can imagine how good it tastes!
I never thought to try Sumac, I will have to up my game, trying this tonight. Thank you for this!
Gorgeous dish, and what a beautiful roasting pan!