Ingredients

Method

• 1 kg free-range skinless chicken thighs
• 2 T olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the marinade, mix:
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 green chilli, sliced
• ⅓ cup pomegranate molasses
• 2 T olive oil
• ½-1 t freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
• 400 g bulgur wheat
• 1 t salt
• 2 T olive oil
• Boiling water
• 100 g shelled pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped (half reserved for serving)
• 150 g currants
• 4 t dried mint
• 2 T pomegranate molasses (thinned with 1-2 T olive oil)
• 100 g pomegranate rubies (1 T reserved for serving)
• 20-30 g mint, roughly chopped
• 20-30 g parsley, roughly chopped
• Lemon or lime juice, to taste (we used ½ lemon and 1 lime)

Method

Ingredients

1. Coat the chicken in the marinade. Cover and marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. You can marinate it up to 48 hours in advance – leave it in the fridge until you are ready to start cooking.

2. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat and add the marinated chicken, skin side up. Season with salt and pepper and fry for 2–3 minutes, or until dark golden in colour, then turn and cook for a further 2 minutes. Place the pan in the oven. Or, if you prefer, transfer the browned chicken and marinade to a baking pan lined with baking paper. Bake for 5–8 minutes, or until cooked through.

3. To make the salad, place the bulgur wheat, salt and oil in a saucepan. Add enough boiling water to just cover it (about 3 cups). Bring to a simmer, cover and turn off the heat. Once tender, fluff up with a fork.

4. Add all the remaining salad ingredients, except those you have reserved for serving, and stir well. Check the seasoning. Spoon the salad onto a large platter and top with the chicken and the cooking juices. If you like, reduce the juices to make a glaze to spoon over the chicken.

5. Sprinkle with the reserved pistachios and pomegranate rubies.

Cook's note: "Slightly adapted from the recipe in Honey & Co by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, this is my favourite to share with friends." Phillippa Cheifitz
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