Al Fahan Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs
• Salt to taste
• Crushed black peppercorns to taste
• ½ lemon
• 4 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
• 4 tablespoons yogurt
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2-3 green cardamoms
• 6-8 black peppercorns
• 3-4 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 4-5 dried red chillies
• 1 medium tomato, quartered
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• ¼ cup fresh coriander leaves
• To serve
• Mixed lettuce leaves as required
• Ready-made hummus
• Pitted green and black olives
• Pickled vegetables as required
• Toasted pita bread as required

Method

1. Make deep slits on the joints of each chicken thigh. Place them on a plate sprinkle salt, crushed black peppercorns, squeeze the juice of lemon and add the ginger-garlic paste and yogurt. Rub the mixture well on the chicken thighs. Set aside to marinate for 1 hour.
2. Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, green cardamoms, black peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon stick and dried red chillies in a non-stick pan for 2-3 minutes. Transfer onto a plate and let the mixture cool slightly. 
3. Put the roasted mixture in a blender jar and blend to a fine powder. Add tomato, onion and coriander leaves and blend to a fine paste. Add a little water if necessary to get the right consistency. 
4. Apply the blended paste on the marinated chicken thighs and set aside to marinate for another hour. 
5. Preheat oven to 200ºC.
6. Grease a baking tray with some olive oil. Place the marinated chicken thighs on it, place it in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
7. Transfer the chicken thighs onto a wire rack and grill over direct flame for a few minutes on each side.
8. Arrange them on a serving plate and serve hot with salad, hummus, olives, pickled vegetables and toasted pita bread.