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!
Hey, I was interested in trying this recipe but I was unsure about preheating the oven.
Is it 450 degrees Celsius or 450 Fahrenheit?
Hi Bekki! 450 degrees Fahrenheit. We hope you enjoy!
i’ve made this a million times and love it and suggest to friends! i’m in college so sometimes i opt for a much less healthy version and coat the chicken in flower, slab on the hummus, then coat it in breadcrumbs
Thanks for sharing with us, Sarah! We’re so happy you’re a fan!
As an Arab, the western version of hummus and all the “flavoring” is a blasphemy to us lol however I did try the recipe and absolutely loved it! To the point I remade it the same night! Great idea though. Love the 10 minute prep time it took. Perfect for midweek dinners!
Thank you, we’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Michelle!
Hello! I’ve made this dish so many times that I can’t count. However, my chicken doesn’t develop a “crust”. It is more saucy but is still really good. Maybe I am putting too much hummus on. Do you put on a thin layer? I put on a pretty thick layer. Tonight I am going to use fresh brussels and carrots instead. Let me know about the hummus quantity!
Thanks for this recipe, so quick and darn easy!! :)
Hi Wendy! We’re so glad you enjoy it! As for the crust, you do want a thinner layer, we think that should help!
I just made this for dinner and it was perfect! So easy to make and absolutely delicious! I used Sabra’s Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and threw in some red peppers to the veggie mix. I also forgot to add the lemon juice, but it was still wonderful! Such an ingenious way to use hummus. Thanks for sharing! We’ll definitely be making this again!
Thanks for sharing, Katherine, we’re glad you enjoyed it!
My kids are picky eaters, but they and I both really enjoyed this dish. Thank you!
We’re glad to hear that, Jennifer!
Love the recipe. My son who is 6 loved the chicken. I did not have the same vegetable so I did it with carrot, green beans and broccoli … Loved how the broccoli came out. So easy, delicious and healthy too :) Thanks
Thank you, Carmen, we’re so glad you and your son enjoyed it!
I pinned this recipe awhile ago and finally got around to making it last night…It was a last minute make so I whipped up a batch of hummus (when I say whip up – I used a can of chickpeas and a package of tahini, garlic etc) and baked the chicken by itself exactly as you directed. I put a little paprika on top and served it with steamed broccoli.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I will be sharing with my friends and family for sure :)
Awesome, so glad to hear it!
Very easy and delicious, Thank you!
Dear Ali,
Made the hummus chicken tonight….deliciousness! Thank you so much for sharing what you do!
best to you!
Josseline
Awesome, so happy you enjoyed it!