Roast Chicken with Cauliflower, Tahini Sauce and Tabouleh

The idea for this meal came to me while walking through a local mall food court and seeing trays of Tabouleh at a Middle Eastern fast-food stall. A few days earlier I had made a lemon-thyme-garlic roast chicken and the combination stuck with me. Tabouleh is a bright salad of curly parsley, onion, cucumber, tomato and bulgur wheat, dressed with olive oil and lemon. It works as a refreshing side or a topping, and it also makes a surprising, vibrant Middle Eastern-style salsa verde when used with roast chicken.

I wanted a paleo-friendly version, so I substituted grated cauliflower for the bulgur. The texture is similar and the cauliflower takes on the lemon-olive oil dressing nicely. If this seems familiar, you’re not alone—many cooks have made cauliflower tabouleh, but it remains a fantastic, easy swap that keeps the classic tabouleh character while removing the wheat.

Making the Stuff:

For larger batches, use a food processor for the cauliflower and parsley and finely dice the other vegetables by hand. If you prefer, you can do everything by hand—just be mindful of texture. Don’t over-blitz the mixture in the processor, or it will become mushy instead of a lively salad.

60-Second Tahini:

The tahini dressing is simple, quick and pairs perfectly with the chicken and tabouleh. You can whisk it by hand or use a food processor—either method takes about a minute.

Lemon-Thyme-Garlic Roast Chicken:

Below is the roast chicken recipe I recommend serving with the tabouleh and tahini. The roast is straightforward and yields juicy, flavorful meat with crisp skin.

Whole-Roasted Cauliflower:

I often roast a whole cauliflower alongside the chicken when I have one on hand. Halve the head, remove the stem, rub with olive oil, season with turmeric, cayenne and paprika, and top each half with a knob of ghee or schmaltz. Roast until golden and fork-tender, basting with the pan juices for extra richness. The rendered chicken juices or schmaltz add fantastic flavor when used for basting.

Give these recipes a try and let me know how they turn out—comments are welcome.

Cheers,

Ronny

Cauliflower Tabouleh

Serves 2–3 as a side.

Ingredients:

3–4 cauliflower florets, finely grated by hand or pulsed in a food processor

1 bunch curly leaf parsley (about 2.5–3 cups loosely packed), very finely chopped

1 tomato, seeded and finely diced

½ English cucumber, seeded and finely diced

¼ red onion, finely diced

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ lemon, zested and juiced

½ tsp sea salt, or to taste

1 tsp black pepper, or to taste

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss thoroughly. Taste and adjust salt, pepper or lemon juice as needed. Serve chilled or at room temperature alongside roast chicken and tahini.

60-Second Tahini

Serves 2–3

Ingredients:

2 tbsp roasted sesame paste (tahini)

1 clove garlic, mashed into a paste

Pinch of sea salt

3 tbsp lemon juice

½ cup water (adjust for consistency)

Method:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree on low until smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 seconds. If too thick, add water 1 tbsp at a time; if too thin, add a little more sesame paste. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Whole-Roasted Cauliflower

Serves 3–4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, cut in half and stems removed

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp cold ghee (or substitute 2 tbsp cold schmaltz)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Place the cauliflower halves in an oven-safe skillet and rub each with 1 tbsp olive oil. Season evenly with turmeric, paprika, cayenne and sea salt. Place 1 tbsp ghee on top of each half.
3. Roast for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes. After about an hour, baste the cauliflower with the juices and fat that have collected in the skillet, return to the oven and finish roasting until golden and fork-tender. Baste once more after removing from the oven and serve warm.

Lemon-Thyme-Garlic Roast Chicken

Serves 2–4

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (free-range, about 3–3.5 lbs)

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

8–10 sprigs fresh thyme

2 lemons

½ head garlic, halved with skin on and cloves smashed

Method:

1. Bring the chicken to room temperature. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Rinse and pat the chicken very dry. Season inside and out with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.
3. Stuff the cavity with one lemon (halved), 6–8 thyme sprigs and the smashed garlic. Truss the legs to close the cavity.
4. Place the chicken in a Dutch oven or oven-safe skillet and roast for 50 minutes without opening the oven.
5. After 50 minutes, check the thigh temperature with a meat thermometer; it should read about 160°F. If lower, return to the oven and recheck every 10 minutes.
6. When done, remove from the oven. While the bird sits in the pan, add 2–4 thyme sprigs and a few lemon slices to the pan juices and baste the chicken repeatedly for a few minutes. The residual heat and basting will raise the internal temperature to 165°F and deepen the flavor.
7. Transfer to a cutting board, carve, and serve with cauliflower tabouleh, tahini and roasted cauliflower.