This is a very easy and crowd-pleasing chicken dish – it has sweetness and little sourness and as much or as little spiciness as you like. I used whole chicken legs but whole thighs with bone in would be good also.
Ingredients (for 4)
4 whole chicken legs
2 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally
1 large onion, peeled, quartered and sliced
1 lemon, cut into small pieces
Handful each of pitted dates (halved) and whole apricots
Sprigs of fresh thyme
Marinade
Juice of 1 lemon Juice and zest of 1 large orange or 2 smaller ones
Juice of 1 lime
3 tbsps honey
2 tsps sea salt
4 tbsp olive oil
1½ tbsps wholegrain mustard
Small piece of grated fresh ginger
1 tsp chilli flakes (or more)
2 bay leaves
Splash or two of chicken stock
Garnish
Finely chopped coriander and spring onion
Toasted pinenuts or pistachios
Place all the marinade ingredients in a pot, bring to the boil, turn down and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside and cool.
Blanch the lemon pieces for 2 minutes. Drain. Cook the carrots slices in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Drain.
Place the chicken pieces, lemon pieces, dried fruit, thyme, carrot slices and onion in a large dish and pour over the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour but preferably overnight.
The next day bring the chicken to room temperature and place in an oven preheated to 200°C. Cook for 30 minutes then give the fruit and veges a bit of the stir so they don’t burn. Turn the oven down to 180°C. Cook for another 20 -30 minutes until the chicken is cooked and nicely browned. Remove the chicken, cover and set aside. Cover the pan with foil and place back in the oven till the carrots are softer and the sauce thickened a little – about 10 minutes or so.
When ready mix the chicken back in. Serve on a platter garnished with coriander, spring onion and pinenuts.