Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken

This Lemon Garlic Chicken is a copycat of a signature dish at Al Aseel, a popular Lebanese restaurant in Sydney. Tender marinated chicken smothered in a special lemon garlic sauce, it’s outrageously good and making it at home is easy!

Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken – Al Aseel copycat
Al Aseel’s Lemon Garlic Chicken
Al Aseel proudly declares itself to be “Sydney’s best Lebanese restaurant” – a bold claim, but who am I to argue? I haven’t personally tried every Lebanese spot in Sydney (though that sounds like a challenge I’d happily accept!).

What I do know is that their signature Lemon Garlic Chicken has a bit of a cult following, and when a reader asked me to recreate it, I was happy to oblige.

Plus, it turned out to be surprisingly easy to recreate. A nice reprieve after the 48 versions it took to create last weeks’ Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Photos by Al Aseel Lebanese restaurant
Yogurt marinade and yogurt sauce
The key ingredient in this Al Aseel copycat recipe is yogurt. It’s used in the garlicky marinade (yogurt is an excellent flavour carrier, as Greek Gyros fans can attest) , it makes the flavour stick to the chicken as it sears, and it’s the base of the creamy garlic lemon sauce that smothers the chicken.

By the way, the Lemon Garlic Yogurt Sauce is served warm, which might sound a bit unusual (warm yogurt??), but please trust. I thought the same the first time I tried this dish at Al Aseel, and happy to find I was completely wrong – it’s fabulous!

Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken – Al Aseel copycatGarlic yogurt marinade tenderises chicken
Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken – Al Aseel copycatGarlic lemon yogurt sauce for smothering
Ingredients in Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken
Here’s what you need to make this.

For the marinade
I don’t know if Al Aseel uses a yogurt marinade, but it’s an excellent flavour carrier and tenderiser. The chicken is so juicy inside, you will be amazed. (Juicier than at the restaurant).

Chicken tenderloin – quick and easy to cut into the right shape so they sit flat on the pan, and the finished dish looks like Al Aseel’s. It’s also more tender than chicken breast, though you can use breast in a pinch (the marinade does wonders with tenderising). Thighs also work, though they aren’t as uniform in shape as tenderloin or breast.

Yogurt – Greek or plain yogurt, unsweetened, is an excellent flavour carrier for marinades to get the garlic infused all the way through each piece. It also creates a nice coating so the tasty flavours sticks to the surface of the chicken. Full fat please!

Lemon – The acid in the marinade that helps tenderise, as well as adding tangy lemon flavour.

Olive oil – To add a bit of richness and dilute the acidity of the lemon a bit so it doesn’t “cook” the chicken.

Salt and pepper – for seasoning the chicken.

The lemon garlic sauce
Make this while you’ve got everything out for the marinade because it uses the same ingredients! In fact, the flavour in the sauce needs time to meld so needs to be made at least 1 hour ahead
Yogurt – Using full fat is essential here. Low fat has a “watery” mouthfeel to it.

Tahini – I don’t think Al Aseel uses tahini, I think they mix yogurt with toum which is a Lebanese garlic dip made with a lot of oil. A small amount of tahini instead provides mouthfeel richness without overtaking the sauce with sesame flavour.

Olive oil – To give the sauce a bit of richness.

Garlic – Unusually, I’m going to ask you to measured the garlic using teaspoons because raw garlic in a sauce like this can be quite harsh. I use 3/4 teaspoons of finely grated or garlic minced using a garlic press. If using a knife, finely chop then smear the garlic on the board using the side of the knife to make a paste, then measure.

Water – To thin the sauce slightly, to make it drizzle-able (is that a word?).

Salt and pepper – For seasoning.

Salt note: the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of salt in each the marinade and sauce. I started with less but felt it was under salted for both, then kept dialling it up and landed on a teaspoon for each. It’s not salty, I promise.

How to make Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken
Marinating time aside, it’s actually very quick because there’s not that many ingredients!

Marinade chicken for 12 to 24 hours. Beyond 24 hours, there’s diminishing returns (ie extra time doesn’t make it more tender or more flavourful) so while ok to keep it for 2 days in the fridge, beyond that I’d freeze it instead.

Cook – Drain off the excess marinade out of the bowl then cook the chicken pieces for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side until golden. I do it in 2 batches because if you clutter the pan, the chicken will go watery and braise instead of sear. We want the golden colour!

PS The recipe calls for the pieces to be cut fairly large because each piece is turned one at a time. It’s a pain individually turning loads of tiny pieces!
Rest – Transfer the cooked chicken onto a plate and after the second batch is cooked, let it rest for 2 minutes. This resting time allows the juices to settle back into the chicken fibres so you get really juicy chicken flesh inside. You will be surprised. I was!

Lemon garlic sauce – This is as easy as mixing the ingredients together, setting aside for at least an hour to let the garlic flavour meld, then heating the sauce gently only to warm in the microwave.

However, because the ingredients in the sauce are the same as the chicken marinade, it’s quite handy to just mix it up at the same time as the marinade then just refrigerate it until required.

Plating up – Al Aseel style! Pour half the yogurt sauce into a shallow bowl or a plate. Then transfer the chicken onto the sauce using a spatula or spoon – don’t pour it them off the plate as the resting juices on the plate tarnish your sparkling white sauce.

Garnish – Top with remaining yogurt sauce, drizzle with olive oil and finish with a pinch of parsley. Then serve!

Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken – Al Aseel copycat
How to serve Al Aseel’s Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken
For me, Lebanese bread for sauce mopping is a must, plus then you also have the option to make wraps stuffed with the tasty chicken pieces smothered in the lemon garlic sauce. Rice is also a good option. Basmati would be my pick though any plain rice would work (there’s certainly plenty of sauce for rice soaking).

If you’re after something more adventurous on the rice front, try Mejadra (Middle Eastern spiced lentil rice), Garlic rice or Rice Pilaf with Nuts and Dried Fruit.

Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken – Al Aseel copycat
Add a perky fresh salad on the side (try Lebanese Fattoush or this Ottolenghi one, sometimes I skip the chickpeas), and a fabulous Lebanese feast at home is totally within reach even on a midweek! And if there are any die-hard Al Aseel fans reading this, I’d love to know how you think my version stacks up.