Slow-Cooked Chicken with a Crisp Corn Crust
This week marks the release of Yotam Ottolenghi's new book "Simple" and not one for missing out I had to give one of the recipes a go...
This slow-cooked chicken dish is packed full of flavour with harissa, paprika, garlic and a hint of dark chocolate enriching the tomato sauce and a crispy topping of corn, aerated with egg whites and flavoured with all the good stuff - egg yolks, butter and milk. This is the perfect weekend meal with a little prep and a long slow cook, you can get on with your day knowing you have something delicious to look forward to.
Slow-Cooked Chicken with a Crisp Corn Crust
Serves 6-8
For the slow-cooked chicken:
3 tbsp olive oil
3 red onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp rose harissa
2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
10 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
200ml tomato passata
5 large tomatoes, quartered
200g jarred roasted red peppers, drained and cut into 2cm thick rounds
15g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
20g fresh parsley, roughly chopped
salt
black pepper
For the sweetcorn batter:
60g unsalted butter, melted
570g sweetcorn kernels (drained weight)
3 tbsp full fat milk
3 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pan, for which you have a lid, on a medium high heat. Add the onions and fry for 8-9 minutes, stirring a few times, until caramelised and soft. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, harissa, paprika, chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the passata and tomatoes. Pour over 350ml of water, bring to the boil, then simmer on a medium heat, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring every once in a while.
Add the peppers and chocolate and continue to simmer for another 35-40 minutes, with the pan now uncovered, stirring frequently, until the sauce is getting thick and the chicken is falling apart. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. If you are serving the chicken as it is (as a stew without the batter), it's ready to serve (or freeze, once it's come to room temperature) at this stage. If you are making the corn topping, set the chicken casserole pot aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Pour the butter into a blender with the corn, milk, egg yolks and ¾ teaspoon salt. Blitz for a few seconds, to form a rough paste, then spoon into a large bowl. Place the egg whites in a separate clean bowl and whisk to form firm peaks. Fold these gently into the runny corn mixture until just combined, then pour the mix evenly over the chicken.
Bake for 35 minutes, until the top is golden-brown: keep an eye on it after 25 minutes to make sure the top is not taking on too much colour: you might need to cover it with tin foil for the final 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes before serving with some green veg.
TIP: You can enjoy this dish without the corn topping (though it really is tasty!)
This slow-cooked chicken dish is packed full of flavour with harissa, paprika, garlic and a hint of dark chocolate enriching the tomato sauce and a crispy topping of corn, aerated with egg whites and flavoured with all the good stuff - egg yolks, butter and milk. This is the perfect weekend meal with a little prep and a long slow cook, you can get on with your day knowing you have something delicious to look forward to.
Slow-Cooked Chicken with a Crisp Corn Crust
Serves 6-8
For the slow-cooked chicken:
3 tbsp olive oil
3 red onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp rose harissa
2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
10 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
200ml tomato passata
5 large tomatoes, quartered
200g jarred roasted red peppers, drained and cut into 2cm thick rounds
15g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
20g fresh parsley, roughly chopped
salt
black pepper
For the sweetcorn batter:
60g unsalted butter, melted
570g sweetcorn kernels (drained weight)
3 tbsp full fat milk
3 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pan, for which you have a lid, on a medium high heat. Add the onions and fry for 8-9 minutes, stirring a few times, until caramelised and soft. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, harissa, paprika, chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the passata and tomatoes. Pour over 350ml of water, bring to the boil, then simmer on a medium heat, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring every once in a while.
Add the peppers and chocolate and continue to simmer for another 35-40 minutes, with the pan now uncovered, stirring frequently, until the sauce is getting thick and the chicken is falling apart. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. If you are serving the chicken as it is (as a stew without the batter), it's ready to serve (or freeze, once it's come to room temperature) at this stage. If you are making the corn topping, set the chicken casserole pot aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Pour the butter into a blender with the corn, milk, egg yolks and ¾ teaspoon salt. Blitz for a few seconds, to form a rough paste, then spoon into a large bowl. Place the egg whites in a separate clean bowl and whisk to form firm peaks. Fold these gently into the runny corn mixture until just combined, then pour the mix evenly over the chicken.
Bake for 35 minutes, until the top is golden-brown: keep an eye on it after 25 minutes to make sure the top is not taking on too much colour: you might need to cover it with tin foil for the final 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes before serving with some green veg.
TIP: You can enjoy this dish without the corn topping (though it really is tasty!)
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