Lavender and Sumac Roast Chicken

A delightfully easy recipe of Lavender and Sumac Roast Chicken, a simple way to use lavender in a savoury recipe.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Lavender and Sumac Roast Chicken
Lavender and Sumac Roast Chicken

I love bringing my garden into the kitchen; we’ve all heard of baking with lavender of course and many have probably done it too but savoury dishes with lavender takes some convincing, I know!

There are so many flowers that you can safely consume, just do a little research online to find out. Here in the UK, the Royal Horticultural Society does a good job with the information but my port of call is The Edible Flower Shop and a few other online sources. They give you a fairly comprehensive list of what’s safe to consume, including some suggestions and recipes. While I like to grow what I use, that’s not always possible, and these shops are a great source, especially for more exotic varieties of flowers.

If truth be told, most flowers appeal to me for their colour, more than their flavour or aroma. Some, like the lavender and rose, have a very strong and sweet fragrance that carries on into the dish. Herbes de Provence wouldn’t be the same without lavender in it. Others, like hibiscus in its dried form, is deliciously tart and perfect in desserts. Dried rose petals are also amazing used this way, they provide a touch of sweet.

A word about buying your edible flowers, and especially lavender, which is so easily found growing everywhere in the summer. Always buy the organic, culinary variety. Not just organic, make sure it says culinary or edible. The term organic is sometimes too loosely used, in my experience. I’ve always grown my lavender and as I don’t use pesticide in my garden, have always just picked the flower buds straight from the plant. But as I found out recently, dried culinary lavender is now so easily found in the UK, most of our larger supermarket chains do them.

Now, if you’ve never cooked savoury (or at all) with Lavender before, here’s a simple, recipe to start off with that you can do for Sunday lunch, Lavender and Sumac Roast Chicken. I’m pairing the sweet, floral lavender with the contrasting notes of sour and pungent Sumac with just a little bit of cumin for some depth. Lavender has a very potent bouquet, a little goes a very long, long way. Too much and the dish is ruined as everything will just taste a little soapy. What lavender does in a recipe is it imparts a delightful fragrance that enhances the flavour of your dish but to me, doesn’t actually provide any taste. Unless you use too much! Cooking is always a learning process and if you’ve never cooked with lavender before, it might take you a few attempts to get the balance right.

As far as cooking the chicken goes, follow my instructions or roast it the way you normally would. If you can’t get Sumac, just substitute it with some lemon juice, click on the link for Sumac to read more about this favourite Middle Eastern spice.

Fresh Lavender v Dried Lavender – use a third dried lavender buds to the fresh that you’re substituting. Dried is always more concentrated.

So, shall we get our aprons on?

If you like the recipe and article, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! Thank you!

And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood.

Lin xx

Lavender and Sumac Roast Chicken

A delightfully easy recipe of Lavender and Sumac Roast Chicken, a simple way to use lavender in a savoury recipe.
5 from 4 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: International
Keyword: chicken, roast
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 113kcal
Author: Azlin Bloor

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken about 1.5kg/3 lbs
  • 1 medium onion halved
  • fresh lemon halved

*Marinade*

  • 4 unopened lavender flower sprigs the top bit or 1 tsp dried buds
  • 1 Tbsp Sumac
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 190˚C/375˚F.
  • In a pestle and mortar (or whatever chopper thing you use), crush the lavender flowers with the salt and garlic.
  • Add all other marinade ingredients and mix thoroughly.
  • Place the chicken in your usual roasting dish, rub the marinade all over the chicken, including under the skin as far as you can go, being careful not to tear the skin.
  • Place the onion and lemon halves in the chicken cavity.
  • Cover (with a lid or foil) and roast for 1 and a half to 2 hours, depending on the size of the chicken, basting every 30 minutes or so.
  • Leave the chicken uncovered for the last 20 minutes for a crispy, browned skin.
  • Once cooked, take the chicken out of the oven, cover loosely with foil, then a tea towel and leave to rest for 15-20 minutes while you get the table ready.

Nutrition

Serving: 4 | Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 36IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
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34 thoughts on “Lavender and Sumac Roast Chicken”

  1. This chicken looks so amazing! I love to roast chicken whole and leave it in the oven for 2 hours just like you do this one. I would love to try it, where will I get the Sumac seasoning?

    1. Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice. So if you have access to a Middle Eastern store, you should find it. Do you guys have online shopping? That’s how I used to get it here in the UK in the 90s, now, everything is so easily available. If you can’t get Sumac, substitute it with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

  2. Sarah Bailey

    This looks so delicious! I love that you thought outside of the box with the flavorings.

  3. This looks like an amazing combination of flavors to go on chicken. I never would have thought of it but I bet it is going to be tasty when I try it out.

  4. Kathy Kenny Ngo

    Nice shot, looks mouthwatering to me. I will try this if I have some time. Thanks for the recipe!

  5. Elizabeth O.

    I’m used to lavender being part of sweet dishes or desserts. It being part of a savory recipe is kind of new to me, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth a try! I’m sure this chicken smells amazing.

  6. Oh my lands that chicken looks so good. We have a local lavendar farm close but and they use lavendar in everything but I have never tried it myself. You have inspired me!

  7. This is an interesting mix of flavors. I would love to try this recipe. My sister and her tweens will be visiting this weekend and I think this lavender and sumac roast chicken would be perfect to make for dinner.

  8. I have to admit, lavender is not one of my favorite scents or spices. It has to do with a trip to Provence, a monastery and a lavender field. All way too much!

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