Tunisian Chicken with Couscous and Preserved Lemon

From issue #6.
Tunisian Chicken with Couscous and Preserved Lemon

Serves: 6 - 8

INGREDIENTS

8 chicken thighs, boneless with skin on

Marinade
zest and juice of 2 lemons
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon turmeric
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
6 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Couscous
300 grams couscous
1 large mild red chilli, finely chopped
4 spring onions, finely sliced
rind of ½ preserved lemon, finely diced
3 tablespoons currants
400 mls vegetable stock
pinch of saffron threads
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette
1 teaspoon seed mustard
1 teaspoon runny honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup mint, finely chopped

METHOD

Slash the skin of each chicken thigh 3-4 times. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large shallow dish and add the chicken. Coat well, cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

Heat a non-stick sauté pan with a little oil and quickly brown the chicken on both sides. Sprinkle with a little salt, transfer to a baking tray and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the juices run clear. Remove, cool and refrigerate. (Important note: Cooked chicken must be kept chilled at all times. Transfer it directly from the fridge to a chilled cooler bin, and maintain the temperature with ice or frozen chiller pads).

Couscous: Place the couscous, chilli, spring onions, preserved lemon and currants in a bowl. Bring the stock and saffron to the boil in a small pot and pour over the couscous. Stir well, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 10 minutes. Fluff up the couscous with a fork, spoon over the following vinaigrette and toss again. Place the couscous in a container suitable for taking to the picnic.

Vinaigrette: Combine all the ingredients together in a small bowl and season to taste. Serves 6-8