Alternative Weekend Chicken

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Sumac Chicken -

This recipe is from the BBC programme 'Rick Stein: From Venice to Istanbul'. I first cooked it about four years ago, and it's been a go-to in our house since then. It makes a nice alternative to a Sunday roast and works well at any time of the year. We found some skinned chicken in the freezer yesterday, and all the other ingredients were in the store cupboard, so I decided to cook enough for the whole weekend. Last night we had it with a Tomato & Chilli Cous cous we get from Lidl; branded Newgate Express, it comes in two-serving packets and takes less than five minutes to knock up. Tonight we'll have the rest with Wholegrain Wild & Red Rice: this time from Aldi, branded Worldwide Foods. Bang it in the microwave for two minutes, and it's done.  Here's the recipe for the chicken:

Ingredients:

Chicken - the amount is up to you, but I always make the same quantity of marinade/sauce, which is enough for a whole, jointed chicken. It's best if you skin it, in my opinion.

Olive oil - the original calls for 3 tbsp - that's UK tablespoons and I use more than that anyway!

I tbsp Sesame seeds - I usually leave these out, as we've invariably not got any to hand as this is practically the only thing we cook that uses them, and they don't last that long in the cupboard to be honest.

The Marinade:

2 tbsp ground sumac - from larger Tesco's and Waitrose, online or whatever

2 large, crushed cloves of garlic

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses - as with the sumac for suppliers

1 tsp good sea salt - preferably Halen Môn (but I would say that, as it's made on Anglesey - we also use Malden too though, to be honest)

Modus Operandi:

Mix all the stuff for the marinade together and coat the chicken pieces liberally in a baking dish. Cover and leave in a cool place for an hour or so. Preheat your oven to about 240°C. Drizzle the olive oil all over the chicken; as I say, the more the better from my point of view as I love the stuff and it gives plenty of sauce to mop up with the cous cous or rice. If you're using the sesame seeds, sprinkle them all over the chicken now. Whack the dish into the oven and turn it straight down to 190°-200°C, depending on how hot your oven goes: they're all different. The chicken will take between 30 mins and an hour - I baste it a couple of times during the cooking: just check for the juices on the biggest pieces running clear to make sure it's done, but don't overcook it. Serve with the staple of your choice, Middle Eastern or otherwise: like practically anything, it goes well with chips (fries), too!


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