Pomegranate-glazed chicken thighs with red quinoa salad

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This heavenly pomegranate-glazed chicken thigh recipe is a sight to behold, with perfectly glazed chicken served with a vibrant, bountiful quinoa salad. This recipe is taken from Home Cook by Thomasina Miers, published by Faber & Faber. Photography by Tara Fisher.

First published in 2017

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Pomegranate-glazed chicken thighs

Quinoa salad

  • 125g of quinoa, red or white, rinsed
  • 2 handfuls of pistachio nuts, gently toasted and roughly chopped
  • 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 pomegranate, deseeded
  • 1 celery heart, finely sliced
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and finely diced
  • 1/2 bunch of parsley, leaves and stalks finely chopped
  • 2 handfuls of mint, large, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lemon, juiced

Method

1
To begin, make the marinade for the chicken. Place the garlic clove in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt and crush to a paste. Add the cumin seeds and peppercorns and crush them too, then stir in the molasses, oil and lemon juice
2
Transfer to a large bowl, then add the chicken thighs and rub the marinade into them thoroughly. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour
3
Meanwhile, prepare the salad. Place the quinoa in a pan with a few pinches of salt and cover with 800ml boiling water. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15–17 minutes
4
Remove from the heat, drain in a sieve, then sit the sieve on top of the hot pan and cover it with a clean tea towel. Leave to steam-dry for at least 10 minutes
5
Combine the remaining salad ingredients in a bowl (except for the oil and lemon juice) and lightly season. When the quinoa has steamed dry, fluff it up with a fork
6
While still hot, pour over the oil and half the lemon juice, mix well and season lightly. Combine with the other salad ingredients, squeeze over the remaining lemon and mix well. Set aside
7
Add a small splash of oil to a lidded frying pan and place over a medium-high heat. Season the thighs with a little salt and add them skin-side down to the pan when hot. Fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden and crisp
8
Turn the thighs over once more, add the pomegranate seeds, any leftover marinade and a splash of water
9
Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for another 3 minutes, until cooked through (the juices should run clear when you insert a skewer. Uncover and leave to rest for 3 minutes
10
Cut the thighs into thirds and sit them on top of the salad, spooning over the cooking juices and cooked pomegranate seeds

Thomasina Miers was winner of BBC MasterChef in 2005. She is a cook and food writer whose work has ranged from cheese-making and running market stalls in Ireland, cheffing with Skye Gyngell at Petersham Nurseries to co-founding the restaurant group Wahaca.

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