This Lebanese dish is a brilliant way of pulling together the odds and ends in the fridge and store cupboard to create something spectacular. Spraying Lurpak Cooking Mist on the chicken ensures a beautifully burnished skin.

Cooking time: 20 mins

Serves: 6

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper, spritz a few times with Lurpak® Cooking Mist, and put in the oven. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn down the heat to 190°C and roast for another hour, spritzing every now and then with the Lurpak® Cooking Mist.

Meanwhile, lightly toast the pitta bread and halve through the middle to give you 6 thin pieces of pitta. Spray with Lurpak® Cooking Mist and bake in the oven for 10 minutes until crisp.

Melt the butter in a medium pan and add the spices. Stir for a minute or so, and then add the tomato, vinegar, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Taste for seasoning and keep warm for now.

Beat the garlic into the yogurt along with a pinch of salt. Set aside.

When the chicken is done, rest in a warm place. Meanwhile, put the rice, chickpeas, cinnamon and stock in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to break up the rice, then cover and simmer gently for 12 minutes, without removing the lid. Take off the heat but don’t remove the lid, and leave for another 5 minutes. Carve the chicken in the meantime. Now uncover the rice.

Put a pitta crisp on each plate. Top with a spoonful of the rice, then with some roast chicken. Dress with the garlic yogurt and chili sauce, garnish with sliced shallot, coriander, and pomegranate seeds, and serve.

Ingredients

  • 1 × 1.5kg chicken
  • Lurpak® Cooking Mist
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 pitta breads
  • 25g unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp. ras el hanout spice blend (available in supermarkets)
  • 300ml tomato passata
  • 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed to a paste
  • 300g Greek yoghurt
  • 300g basmati rice
  • 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
  • 1 stick of cinnamon
  • 600ml chicken stock
  • 1/2 tsp. chili sauce
  • 1 shallot, peeled and finely sliced
  • A good handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
  • A small handful of pomegranate seeds
By Recipes