Shawarma-spiced grilled chicken; charred peaches with feta
Because summer won’t last forever (sob).
Cooking
August 5, 2026

Good morning! Today we have for you:

Shawarma-spiced grilled chicken is shown on a white plate with a bowl of tahini-yogurt sauce and a lemon half.
Lidey Heuck’s shawarma-spiced grilled chicken with tahini-yogurt sauce. David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

No meals like the present

Last week, friends in Brooklyn invited us over for dinner with a plan to recreate a salad they’d eaten in Paris: a mix of shredded rotisserie chicken, capers, olives and herbs tossed in a simple lemon dressing. I contributed crostini topped with mozzarella, tomatoes, corn and a minced hot pepper I grew on my deck. We finished with a cherry tart from a local bakery. It was the kind of meal summers are made for: convivial, unfussy and perfect for repeating.

Lidey Heuck’s five-star shawarma-spiced grilled chicken with tahini yogurt has similar, easy-August-entertaining vibes. The spiced yogurt marinade keeps the chicken juicy as it chars on the grill, and gives the meat a deep, rich flavor all the way through. The recipe is adaptable, too — you can use boneless chicken breasts, thighs or a combination. The next day, wrap the leftovers in flatbread with tomatoes and cucumbers for sandwiches, or shred your chicken into a salad. There are just over six weeks of summer left; Lidey’s recipe will help make the most of them.

Featured Recipe

Shawarma-Spiced Grilled Chicken With Tahini Yogurt

View Recipe →

More (summery) food for thought

Grilled harissa shrimp: Another easy recipe for your grill. Here, Yossy Arefi brushes succulent pink shrimp and sweet cherry tomatoes with a punchy mix of harissa and honey, then grills it all until it singes at the edges. I love plopping this on top of arugula for an easy yet hearty main course salad.

Tapenade pasta salad: In her new recipe, Clare de Boer takes all the elements of her favorite tapenade (kalamata olives, garlic, fennel seed, lemon zest) and blitzes them into a pungent dressing for pasta salad. The addition of green beans lightens everything while shaved ricotta salata adds creaminess and tang.

Olive oil and chile fried eggs: Fried eggs make the speediest weeknight dinners, and Andy Baraghani’s technique is pure genius. He fries the eggs in olive oil until the whites get lacy-crisp, then sizzles sliced garlic, smoked paprika and chile in the same pan of oil until it’s scarlet-hued and complexly flavored. Serve this with pita or over rice to catch every spicy, yolky drop.

Tomato and bulgur salad with herbs: Heavier on the vegetables than on the grains, Noor Murad’s take on tomato salad is satisfying yet light. Her smart move is to let the bulgur soften in the juice of a grated tomato instead of the usual water, which intensifies that tomato flavor, while a drizzle of tangy pomegranate molasses adds sweet-tart notes.

Broiled peaches with feta and pistachios: Like a cheese course crossed with a fruit-filled dessert, David Tanis’s elegant recipe is just the thing to serve at the end of a simple summer meal.

That’s all for now. If you’re waylaid by a technical snag, email the smart people at cookingcare@nytimes.com for help. And I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hi.

I’ll see you on Sunday.

For a limited time, you can enjoy free access to the recipes in this newsletter in our app. Download it on your iOS or Android device and create a free account to get started.

Article Image

Joel Goldberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.

Grilled Harissa Shrimp

By Yossy Arefi

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarUnfilled Star

270

15 minutes

Makes 3 to 4 servings

Article Image

Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog.

Tapenade Pasta Salad

By Clare de Boer

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarUnfilled Star

64

1 hour 10 minutes

Makes 8 to 10 servings

An overhead image of fried eggs in a pool of red sauce.

Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Susie Theodorou.

Olive Oil and Chile-Fried Eggs

By Andy Baraghani

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled Star

389

10 minutes

Makes 2 to 4 servings 

Article Image

Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Tomato and Bulgur Salad With Herbs

By Noor Murad

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled Star

155

25 minutes

Makes 4 servings

Article Image

Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

Broiled Peaches With Feta and Pistachios

By David Tanis

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled Star

26

25 minutes

Makes 6 servings

Fresh, delicious dinner ideas for busy people, from Emily Weinstein and NYT Cooking.

Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter.

Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly.

Get it in your inbox.
Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties.

Sign up for The Veggie newsletter.

Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties.

Get it in your inbox.

If you received this newsletter from someone else, subscribe here.

Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance.

You received this email because you signed up for Cooking from The New York Times.

To stop receiving Cooking, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings.

Subscribe to NYT Cooking

Connect with us on:

facebookxinstagrampinterestwhatsapp

Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices

Zeta LogoAdChoices Logo

The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018