Lebanese Lemon Garlic Rooster – Al Aseel

April 4, 2025

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This Lemon Garlic Rooster is a copycat of a signature dish at Al Aseel, a well-liked Lebanese restaurant in Sydney. Tender marinated hen seared till golden, smothered in a signature lemon garlic sauce, it’s outrageously good and making it at dwelling is simple!

Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken - Al Aseel copycat

Al Aseel’s Lemon Garlic Rooster

Al Aseel proudly declares itself to be “Sydney’s finest Lebanese restaurant” – a daring declare, however who am I to argue? I haven’t personally tried each Lebanese spot in Sydney (although that appears like a problem I’d fortunately settle for!).

What I do know is that their signature Lemon Garlic Rooster has a little bit of a cult following, and when a reader requested me to recreate it, I used to be joyful to oblige.

Plus, it turned out to be surprisingly simple to recreate. I good reprieve after the 48 variations it took to create final weeks’ Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Photographs by Al Aseel Lebanese restaurant

The important thing ingredient on this Al Aseel copycat recipe is yogurt. It’s used within the garlicky marinade (yogurt is a superb flavour service, as Greek Gyros followers can attest) , it makes the flavour keep on with the hen because it sears, and it’s the bottom of the creamy garlic lemon sauce that smothers the hen.

By the best way, the Lemon Garlic Yogurt Sauce is served heat, which could sound a bit uncommon (heat yogurt??), however please belief. I assumed the identical the primary time I attempted this dish at Al Aseel, and joyful to seek out I used to be fully unsuitable – it’s fabulous!

Components in Lebanese Lemon Garlic Rooster

Right here’s what you should make this.

For the marinade

Rooster tenderloin – fast and straightforward to chop into the suitable form so that they sit flat on the pan, and the completed dish appears to be like like Al Aseel’s. It’s additionally extra tender than hen breast, although you need to use breast in a pinch (the marinade does wonders with tenderising). Thighs additionally work, although they aren’t as uniform in form as tenderloin or breast.
Yogurt – Greek or plain yogurt, unsweetened, is a superb flavour service for marinades to get the garlic infused right through each bit. It additionally creates a pleasant coating so the tasty flavours sticks to the floor of the hen.
Lemon – The acid within the marinade that helps tenderise, in addition to including tangy lemon flavour.
Olive oil – So as to add a little bit of richness and dilute the acidity of the lemon a bit so it doesn’t “cook dinner” the hen.
Salt and pepper – for seasoning the hen.

The lemon garlic sauce

Make this whilst you’ve bought every part out for the marinade as a result of it makes use of the identical substances! Actually, the flavour within the sauce wants time to meld so must be made no less than 1 hour forward.

Yogurt – Utilizing full fats is important right here. Low fats has a “watery” mouthfeel to it.
Tahini – I don’t suppose Al Aseel makes use of tahini, I feel they combine yogurt with toum which is a Lebanese garlic dip made with lots of oil. A small quantity of tahini as an alternative supplies mouthfeel richness with out overtaking the sauce with sesame flavour.
Olive oil – To present the sauce a little bit of richness.
Garlic – Unusually, I’m going to ask you to measured the garlic utilizing teaspoons as a result of uncooked garlic in a sauce like this may be fairly harsh. I take advantage of 3/4 teaspoons of finely grated or garlic minced utilizing a garlic press. If utilizing a knife, finely chop then smear the garlic on the board utilizing the facet of the knife to make a paste, then measure.
Water – To skinny the sauce barely, to make it drizzle-able (is {that a} phrase?).
Salt and pepper – For seasoning.

Salt be aware: the recipe requires 1 teaspoon of salt in every the marinade and sauce. I began with much less however felt it was beneath salted for each, then stored dialling it up and landed on a teaspoon for every. It’s not salty, I promise.

How you can make Lebanese Lemon Garlic Rooster

It’s truly very, very fast!

Marinade hen for 12 to 24 hours. Past 24 hours, there’s diminishing returns (ie further time doesn’t make it extra tender or extra flavourful) so whereas okay to maintain it for two days within the fridge, past that I’d freeze it as an alternative.
Prepare dinner – Drain off the surplus marinade out of the bowl then cook dinner the hen items for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on either side till golden. I do it in 2 batches as a result of in case you litter the pan, the hen will go watery and braise as an alternative of sear. We wish the golden color!

PS The recipe requires the items to be reduce pretty giant as a result of each bit is turned one after the other. It’s a ache individually turning a great deal of tiny items!

Relaxation – Switch the cooked hen onto a plate and after the second batch is cooked, let it relaxation for two minutes. This resting time permits the juices to settle again into the hen fibres so that you get a very juicy chew. It’s fairly extraordinary how tender the within of those hen bites are!
Lemon garlic sauce – That is as simple as mixing the substances collectively, setting apart for no less than an hour to let the garlic flavour meld, then heating the sauce gently solely to heat within the microwave.

Nevertheless, as a result of the substances within the sauce are the identical because the hen marinade, it’s fairly helpful to only combine it up concurrently the marinade then simply refrigerate it till required.

Plating up – Al Aseel fashion! Pour half the yogurt sauce right into a shallow bowl or a plate. Then switch the hen onto the sauce utilizing a spatula or spoon – don’t pour it them off the plate because the resting juices on the plate tarnish your glowing white sauce.
Garnish – High with remaining yogurt sauce, drizzle with olive oil and end with a pinch of parsley. Then serve!

How you can serve Al Aseel’s Lebanese Lemon Garlic Rooster

For me, Lebanese bread for sauce mopping is a should, plus you then even have the choice to make wraps filled with the tasty hen items smothered within the lemon garlic sauce. Rice can also be an excellent possibility. Basmati could be my decide although any plain rice would work (there’s actually loads of sauce for rice soaking).

In the event you’re after one thing extra adventurous on the rice entrance, attempt Mejadra (Center Jap spiced lentil rice), Garlic rice or Rice Pilaf with Nuts and Dried Fruit.

Add a perky contemporary salad on the facet (attempt Lebanese Fattoush or this Ottolenghi one minus the chickpeas), and a wonderful Lebanese feast at dwelling is completely inside attain even on a midweek! And if there are any die-hard Al Aseel followers studying this, I’d like to understand how you suppose my model stacks up. – Nagi x

PS I omitted dessert – as a result of I don’t have any strictly conventional Lebanese dessert recipes – although Baklava, Persian Love Cake or Pistachio Cake could be my picks if I have been trying to impress.

Watch tips on how to make it

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