Pressed caesar chicken thighs with charred baby gem and pickled shallots
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This is a caesar salad with a difference; the chicken is submerged in the umami rich dressing, which brines it and gives it a delicious parmesan crust when seared on the barbecue. The thighs are cooked under weights to achieve a perfect crisp skin every time, and served with pickled shallot rings and lightly grilled little gem. Best of all, this delicious barbecue salad can be whipped up within the hour!
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Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs , (or drumsticks), boned, with skin left on
- 2 little gem lettuces , washed and separated into leaves
- 1 handful of chives , finely chopped
Pickled shallots
- 1 banana shallot , sliced finely into rings
- 80ml of red wine vinegar
- 80ml of water
- 50g of sugar
Caesar dressing
Equipment
- Pestle and mortar
- Ceramic barbecue
Method
1
Begin by making the pickled shallots. This can be done a few days in advance if easier, but isn't necessary. Heat the red wine vinegar, water and sugar in a pan and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add a pinch of salt and take off the heat
2
Once cooled, add the shallot rings and leave to pickle for at least 30 minutes
3
Next make the caesar dressing. This is a quite a loose dressing as it acts as a marinade for the chicken as well as a dressing for the leaves. Using a pestle and mortar, grind the garlic and anchovies to a paste
4
Transfer to a larger bowl then whisk in the vinegar, lemon juice, egg and parmesan. Slowly drizzle in the oil while constantly whisking to emulsify. Taste and season with salt and pepper
5
Transfer about one third of the dressing into a separate bowl to dress the leaves at the end
6
Dip the chicken pieces into the larger bowl of dressing then place onto a tray. Leave to marinate whilst you light the ceramic barbecue
7
Set up the barbecue so you have the cast iron reversible griddle with the plancha side up on the lower level, and bring up the temperature to 200°C
8
Once the barbecue is hot enough, place the chicken pieces skin down on the plancha, lay a sheet of greaseproof paper over them and weigh down with something heavy (we used a cast iron pan). The heavy weight speeds up the process of cooking the chicken meaning there’s no time for it to dry out, as well as ensuring a lovely crisp skin
9
Cook for 8 minutes then remove the weight and flip the chicken over for another minute or so (thicker pieces might need a few minutes)
10
While the chicken is resting, place the little gem leaves onto the plancha and char for around 30 seconds on each side
11
Slice the chicken pieces then plate on top of the charred gem with the pickled shallots, chopped chives and leftover caesar dressing
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Pressed caesar chicken thighs with charred baby gem and pickled shallots
