When the marketing team discussed featuring garlic and how to grow it, my mind immediately snapped to this roasted garlic chicken recipe with a toum dipping sauce. Not remembering what it was called, I could see the memory of the handwritten recipe. It’s been years since I’d made it, yet the creamy, garlicky goodness was palatable on my tongue and made me salivate. I have only found a recipe for Djaj Biltoom in one place online. It is extremely simple to make.
Garlic Chicken, Djaj Biltoom
Ingredients for the Garlic Chicken
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 Lemon / 3 Tbsp. juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 – 2 1/2 lb. chicken pieces
How to Make Djaj Biltoom Garlic Chicken
Combine all the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and cover. Refrigerate overnight. Roast in the oven at 375º F. Baste with the oil mixture every 15 minutes for approximately an hour and a half or until an instant-read thermometer reads 165º F.
Toum Dipping Sauce
Ingredients for the Toum Dipping Sauce
1 head of garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 potato peeled and boiled
How to Make a Toum Dipping Sauce
If you are a vegan, vegetarian, or just not fond of yardbird, this toum dipping sauce is still tasty on bread or crackers or as a dip for fresh vegetables.
- Crush the garlic into the salt with the back of a spoon.
I cheated and used a garlic press to make it easier. - Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and beat well.
- When the oil has been absorbed, stir in a few drops of lemon juice.
- Repeat until about ½ c. oil and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice have been used.
- Put the garlic mixture in a blender with the remaining oil, lemon juice, and potato. Blend until the mixture looks shiny and smooth.
While researching and preparing the toum sauce I saw many photos online that were lighter, smoother, and fluffier than how my toum turned out. They looked more like mayonnaise. One reason mine turned out yellow was because of the use of extra virgin olive oil. You would need to use a lighter-colored oil for a whiter-looking sauce. Even if your toum breaks, separates, or doesn’t turn out fluffy like an aioli, the Growing Spaces team can attest that it was their favorite food on the table.
What to Serve with Garlic Chicken?
I knew this garlic chicken could easily be paired with sides like wild rice and roasted vegetables for a family weeknight meal. As I dreamt up the presentation, I served ours with homemade pitas, tabbouleh, fatoush, baba ganoush with veggie crudites, and spicy potatoes, Batata Harra. I splurged and bought some hummus and dolmas.
For the full feast, the dome-grown vegetable list could easily include lemons, garlic, potatoes, onion, lettuce, tomatoes, mint, parsley or carrot tops, eggplant, carrots, radishes, snap peas, and celery. Have you thought about growing garbanzo beans?
Alternative Ingredients and Cooking Methods for Garlic Chicken
If you have preserved lemons or garlic confit on hand, they could be used as substitutes in the marinade for the chicken.
It is summer and too hot to turn on our oven to roast the chicken for this long, so I decided to use my stovetop smoker on the gas grill and finish on high heat, directly on the grill to add color and crispiness. Since we’re cooking a whole chicken, I didn’t break it into individual pieces. I spatchcocked it.
Are you looking for similar ways to use garlic without the chicken? Check out our Sunchoke Chips with Rosemary and Roasted Garlic Dip.
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