Chicken Charmoula

Ingredients

• cumin seed
• coriander seed
• onion
• garlic cloves
• flat leaf parsley
• cilantro
• ground ginger
• paprika
• black olives
• preserved lemons
• olive oil
• cayenne
• chicken legs
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• greek yogurt
• milk

Preparation

1. 1dry-fry the cumin and coriander seeds for 30-60 seconds in a small frying pan over medium heat
2. 2once the seeds smell toasty and begin to brown , immediately remove from the heat
3. 3then pound them together using a pestle and mortar
4. 4put the onion , garlic and chopped herbs in a food processor along with the toasted spices , ginger and paprika
5. 5blitz until the mixture looks reasonably smooth
6. 6scrape the mixture into a bowl and add the chopped olives and preserved lemon
7. 7stir in a bit of olive oil to slacken the mixture further to a paste
8. 8season to taste with cayenne , salt and pepper
9. 9slash the chicken in several places to allow the flavours to penetrate
10. 10slap the paste all over the chicken , pressing it into the slashes
11. 11cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours , but overnight if you can
12. 12remove the chicken from the fridge and leave to stand for about 30 minutes to allow it to come back to room temperature before cooking
13. 13preheat the oven to 400f
14. 14place the chicken in a roasting pan and roast for 30-35 minutes , or until the juices run clear when the meat is pierced to the centre with a fork
15. 15to make the yoghurt sauce , slacken the yoghurt with the milk , then stir in the remaining ingredients