Moroccan Crispy Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1½ tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1½ tbsp smoked paprika
- 1½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 1½ tsp ground coriander
- 9 chicken thighs boneless, skin-on
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
For the salad:
- 300 g bulgur wheat
- 600 g tinned chickpeas
- 1½ cucumber large
- 1½ red onion
- 3 tomato
- 250 g roasted red peppers full jar
- 1 large handful flat leaf parsley
For the dressing:
- 9 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ lemon juice
- 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 clove garlic small, finely grated
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
Equipment
Whisk
Tongs
Frying pan
Large bowl
Chopping board
Chopping knife
Microplane
Instructions
- Cook the bulgur wheat first and allow it to cool. Bring 600ml water to the boil in a saucepan. Add the 300g bulgur wheat and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes and fluff with a fork once all the water has been absorbed. Allow to cool.
- Next prepare the chicken thighs. In a bowl whisk together the oil and all the turmeric, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin and ground coriander.
- Add the chicken thighs, massaging them with the spicy oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place a large frying pan over a low-medium heat and fry the chicken, skin-side down, for 8–10 minutes, by which time the skin should be super crispy. Turn and cook for a further 8 minutes on the other side, or until cooked through.
- While the chicken is cooking, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and season to taste: extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and grated garlic.
- Prep the salad ingredients by halving the cucumber lengthwise and cutting out the seeds. Chop into small cubes.
- Peel and thinly slice the red onion and roughly dice the tomatoes.
- Roughly dice the roasted red peppers. Roughly chop the parsley.
- Place the cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, red pepper and parsley into the bowl with the dressing, along with the cooked bulgur wheat and the drained and rinsed chickpeas. Toss to mix through and coat.
- Serve up with the spiced chicken thighs, still hot from the pan.
Notes
Chicken thighs are one of my favourite parts of the chicken – both to cook and to eat. Cooked slowly skin-side down in a fuzzy dust of North African spices, they are simply irresistible. Savour them warm from the pan or with this fresh and hearty salad, which is easily adapted with whatever appropriate ingredients your fridge may offer.
You may need to fry the chicken in batches if you don't have a big enough pan.
Nutrition
Calories: 302kcal