Tunisian Chicken with Couscous and Preserved Lemon

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