This past week while standing around on a photo shoot, my coworkers and I noticed that our conversations somehow kept circling back to food (as often seems to happen!). I was getting ready to go grocery shopping that night, so asked if anyone had any blog-worthy chicken recipes to recommend. My friend, Jen, immediately lit up and told us about this hummus-crusted chicken recipe she had recently tried and loved.
Um, “hummus-crusted”??? Sign me up!
Somehow the idea of using hummus as a sauce in baking had never occurred to me. But as soon as she mentioned it, the recipe moved to the top of my list. So this weekend, I picked up some chicken and my favorite hummus (thought about going homemade, but I was in the mood for quick and easy). And then in order to make it a one-pot meal, I also picked up a bunch of veggies to bake up alongside the chicken. And then in less than 10 minutes of prep time, roughly chopped the veggies and added them and the chicken breasts to a big baking dish, slathered the chicken with hummus and some lemon juices, sprinkled on a little sumac (or you can use smoked paprika), and popped it in the oven. About a half hour later, I learned what “hummus-crusted” is all about.
Pure deliciousness, people.
I took the dish to a friend’s house for dinner on Saturday night, and we couldn’t stop talking about how amazingly flavorful and yummy this dish was! The hummus was the total rockstar of the dish — it indeed developed a light crust on the chicken, and then some of the extra oozed onto the veggies to give them a little extra sauce to go with the light lemony flavor. You could easily add some extra herbs, or balsamic, or even a little white wine to go with this. And of course, you could customize it by using your favorite flavors of hummus. But honestly, I loved the simple version with classic chickpea hummus. And holy moly — you can’t beat a one-pot meal with less than 10 minutes of prep time!
Highly recommend that you give this one a try. Thanks, Jen!!
Hummus-Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 yellow squash, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 cup hummus, homemade or storebought
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 lemons
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika or sumac
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare one large baking dish or two smaller baking dishes with cooking spray.
- Pat the chicken dry. Season the chicken breasts with generous pinches of salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the zucchini, squash and onion with olive oil until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper.
- If using one baking dish, place all of the vegetables on the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Lay the four chicken breasts evenly on top, then cover each chicken breast with the hummus so that the entire breast is covered. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken and vegetables. Then sprinkle the pan with smoked paprika or sumac. Thinly slice the remaining lemon, and place the slices in between the chicken and vegetables if desired.
- **If using two pans, use one for the chicken and one for the vegetables.**
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve immediately.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
This was fantastic! Came out perfect. I cook a fair amount and am always looking for new ways to make chicken. This one definitely is a keeper! One small modification – I did roast the squash separately in 1 pan. I thought it might be cool to throw some drained chick peas on the bottom of the second pan and lay the chicken breast on them instead. It was a hit!!
#gimmesomeoven. Thanks!!
We’re so happy to hear that — thanks for sharing with us!
Made this for my family tonight. Simply amazing! I love how the hummus added a nice creamy texture to the veggies. Only ch age was I sprinkled garlic Powder on the veggies and chicken, also sprinkled the stop of everything before putting in the oven with Parmesan cheese. Can’t wait to make it again.
Thanks for sharing Michelle — we’re so glad you enjoyed it! :)
It is so tasty I like it so much ..Thanks!
We’re happy you enjoyed it! :)
Not sure what I did wrong! :( Used 9×9 square pan and followed the directions but all the hummus looks like it melted off and the chicken is swimming.
Hi Trisha — Oh no! We’re so sorry to hear that. It could totally depend on how watery/oily the hummus was. If you try it again, we would recommend pounding the chicken thin enough so that it’s pretty flat and not rounded, and also patting the chicken dry before spooning on the hummus. And even if it slides off, just scoop it up with a fork and it’ll still taste good. We hope this helps!
I am making my versionof this again for the second time in 5 days. Veto on the veggies, but slathering the chicken in hummus, just slathering it with my hands, then little salt, little pepper, then dripping lemon on top. It is absolutely wonderful. Thanks so much for the idea.
Yay! We’re so happy you like it Ken! :)
How long would I need to cook everything if I used chicken tenderloins instead?
15-20 minutes or so — just make sure you turn the tenders once midway through baking, to ensure they get cooked evenly. We hope you enjoy! :)
So easy and so yummy! Love this recipe and will be making again! Thank you!
Thanks Jenny — we’re so glad to hear that! :)
Such a yummy recipe! We’ve made it a few times now. We’re not huge fans of zucchini and squash, so I used red potatoes, carrots and fresh green beans. Love the lemon! Really gives the veggies some extra flavor. We liked the hummus so much that now we put some on top of the veggies as well!
Thanks for sharing Mary — we’re glad to hear you enjoy this! :)
This was amazing! And so simple, too. The chicken and hummus was stellar, and will be part of our regular meal rotation. The vegetables got kind of soggy and wet, but I could easily imagine sauteing them or putting them in cous-cous…lots of options. Thanks for a great meal!
Thanks Sarah, we’re glad you enjoyed it! :)
This is by far one of my favorite chicken recipes. I’ve made it countless times! Super easy and quick prep with not a lot of clean up. I used roasted garlic hummus and its ah-mazing! Husband loves it too which is always a plus.
Thanks Vanessa — we’re so glad you both love this! :D