I fell in love with the flavor profiles of Persian cuisine. Thanks to a wonderful family-owned shop here in the city, I can get access to the most incredible collection of herbs, spices, combination-spices and so much more. The bold citrus of sumac, the extremely fragrant zaatar, and the gentle brightness of mint all come together in the most incredible way. The combination is absolutely phenomenal! Coming up with a marinade is a very natural thing for me. After tweaking the recipe as I added to my mixing bowl, I believe I have come up with the most incredible marinade. It was enough that my husband inhaled many chicken wings, so it had to be awesome!
The recipe is written for approximately 2-2.5lbs of protein. As is, the recipe is perfect for a party of four to six portions or if you are like my husband, maybe two people, LOL! This recipe is configured in a way that allows for the reader to either upsize or downsize with ease.
Key Note: The marinade will need a little counter-time to get some of the spices to absorb the fluid part of this recipe. Just mix it occasionally and it will be great! All of the spices used in this are dried.
Ingredients: 1 1/2 C Olive oil 1 C Red Wine Vinegar 1/2 C Hot Water
1/4 C Kosher Salt 1/4 C Granulated Garlic 2 TB Black Pepper
1 TB Onion Powder 1 TB Sumac 1 TB Zaatar 1 TB Mint
1/2 TB Hungarian Paprika
- Get a decent sized mixing bowl and add everything together
- Make sure the water is hot as this will help awaken the spices - Mixture must be vigorously mixed. - Allow the mixture to rest. Periodically come back to the bowl to continue mixing for about 15 minutes in total.
For amplified flavor, you can double the sumac, mint and zaatar for a more potent Persian punch of flavor. Otherwise, this recipe is perfect the way it is for someone who is just breaking into to trying out new spices.
I recommend at least 12 hours for marinating your vegetables or proteins in the refrigerator. This will give your food the time it needs to marry well with this marinade.
PHOTOS: We roasted off some chicken wings that had marinated for 12 hours. Oven on 375°F/190°C, approximately 30-45 minutes (Internal Temperature: 165°F/73°C), and no longer pink), depending on type of oven and size of wings. On half sheet pans lined with parchment and racks placed on top, the chicken wings cook better where the heat can circulate. We cooked off some extra-long-grain rice with diced bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, and dill. Fresh sliced lime and Turkish onion pickles are palate cleansers and also offer tremendous flavor.
#nonconformingchef #vegan #vegetarian #meats #marinades #madeinnewhampshire #madefromscratch #versatile #freshfood #wickedgood #spices
©2004-2026 Konky’s Creative Kitchen, All rights reserved.