Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs skin on and on the bone
- 2 tsp paprika
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions peeled and cut into 2cm-wide wedges
- 3 small cinnamon sticks
- 3 wide strips orange peel
- 3 bay leaves
- 10 cardamom pods lightly bruised
- 250 g freekeh rinsed
- 6 medjool dates quartered lengthways and stoned
- ¼ tsp saffron threads
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 25 g flaked almonds toasted
- 5 g mint leaves roughly shredded
- 180 g Greek yoghurt to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Put the chicken in a large bowl, sprinkle over the paprika, ground cinnamon, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Rub the seasoning all over the chicken, then put in the fridge to marinate for an hour and a half.
- Heat the oil in a large saute pan for which you have a lid on a medium-high flame, then fry the chicken for 10 minutes, turning them halfway through, until the skin is dark golden-brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate and discard all but two tablespoons of the oil in the pan.
- Turn up the heat to high, then fry the onions for six to seven minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly charred. Turn down the heat to medium, add the cinnamon, orange, bay and cardamom, and fry for three minutes, until the onions are soft and the spices are aromatic. Stir in the freekeh, dates, saffron, stock, 100ml water and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt, then return the chicken to the pan so it sinks into the freekeh a little but is not entirely submerged.
- Once the pot comes to a boil, turn down the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 35 minutes, until the freekeh and chicken are cooked. Raise the heat, remove the lid and leave to bubble away for two to three minutes more, until the grain has absorbed most of the liquid. Take the pot off the heat, sprinkle with the almonds and mint, and serve at once.
Notes
Freekeh is wheat that’s harvested while still green and not completely dry, and then roasted. It infuses any dish with a hint of smokiness. Serves four.
