1 lg large onion, about 225g (8oz), thickly sliced
10ml ground turmeric
12 chicken thighs on the bone, skin on
60ml clear honey
Salt and ground black pepper
30ml chopped fresh mint
30ml slivered almonds
Juice of 1⁄2 a lemon
Fresh mint to garnish
Directions
Step 1
Heat the oil in a shallow flameproof casserole or gratin dish. Add the onion and cook slowly for 10–15min until soft but not coloured. Add the turmeric and cook for 1min. Remove from the heat, then add the chicken, honey, seasoning and half the chopped mint, making sure the chicken is skin-side up in a single layer. If your dish isn’t suitable for placing under the grill, transfer everything to the grill pan (remove the wire rack and line the pan with foil).
Step 2
Preheat the grill so it’s as hot as possible and place the dish or grill pan about 5cm (2in) away from the heat. Cook for about 30min, basting the chicken from time to time. As the chicken begins to brown, reduce the grill to a low to medium heat.
Step 3
Stir in the almonds and continue to cook for 5min until the nuts are golden and the chicken is charred and tender. (To tell whether the chicken thighs are cooked, cut into one to make sure there’s no trace of pink flesh.) Just before serving, add the lemon juice to taste and stir in the remaining chopped mint. Serve, garnished with mint sprigs.
Prepare ahead: Cook the onion and turmeric, cool and mix with the other ingredients as in step 1. Cover and chill overnight in the fridge.
To serve: Complete the recipe.
Step 4
Variation: As an alternative to the chicken in the recipe above, use eight lamb cutlets instead. Cook for 5min then turn over and cook for a further 5min as in step 2. At this stage, try adding a small sliced aubergine or two or three halved baby aubergines to the pan.
Turmeric adds a warm, sunny yellow colour to the chicken but it will do the same to your hands and clothes, so always use with care. Rub your hands with cut lemon to remove the stain.
A crack team of highly skilled food content producers, the GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurstis our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time.
