Country of origin: The origin of this recipe is my own kitchen. It's a combination of a whole lot of flavors and vegetables that I like, tied together with a sauce inspired by this Food & Wine recipe.

Tahini, the backbone of this recipe, originates from India and the Middle East. Tahini is simple: it is pure ground sesame seeds turned into a paste. It's an ancient food that is now grown (sesame seeds) in many different parts of the world. It has been cultivated in India since around 5000 BC. This recipe is a simple + tasty dinner that anyone can master. 

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 Skinless chicken thighs

• 1 Head of broccoli

• 1 Can chickpeas

• 1 Pint sliced shiitake mushrooms

• Olive oil (Divided, 2 Tbsp and 1/4 Cup)

• 1 White onion, medium to large

• 2 Carrots, sliced crosswise

• 1 Zucchini, sliced crosswise

• 1/4+ Cup of tahini

• 1/2 Cup lemon juice (juiced from two fresh lemons)

• 3 Cloves garlic, minced

• 2 Tbsp. warm water

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 450˚F

2. Put 1/4 cup of olive oil, plus salt and pepper to taste, in bowl. Toss rinsed and patted dry chicken thighs in oil mixture.

3. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Toss into a glass baking dish.

4. Rinse and chop broccoli into florets. Toss into baking dish with chickpeas. Drizzle 2 tbsp. of olive oil over chickpeas and broccoli. Put into oven.

5. Remove chicken from olive oil. Sear chicken in a hot pan, cast iron preferred, about 4 minutes on each side (warning: it will splatter all over your stove top, but it's worth it).

6. While chicken cooks on the stove and broccoli and chickpeas crisp in the oven, dice the onion, carrot and zucchini

7. Once chicken is seared (brown on both sides) remove the thighs from the pan and put them into the baking dish in the oven. Put baking dish back into the oven.

8. In the same pan that the chicken was seared, cook the onions until they're translucent (about 4 minutes). Then add the sliced carrots. Mix and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Next remove the pan from heat and mix the pint of sliced shiitake mushrooms into the vegetable medley.

9. Remove the baking dish from the oven, add the cooked vegetable medley, plus the raw slices of zucchini. Place back into the oven.

10. Set the timer for 10-12 minutes

11. While the chicken and vegetables cook, mix together tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic and warm water

12. Remove the baking dish from the oven again and pour tahini sauce over the vegetables, stir lightly

13. Place chicken and vegetables back into the oven and allow to cook for remaining time

14. Once the timer goes off ensure the chicken is cooked thoroughly, then enjoy!