Barbecued Chicken with Yogurt, Lime and Almonds

I am always looking for ways to jazz up chicken thighs for a quick and easy dinner. This recipe uses ground almonds as part of a yoghurt marinade along with lime, mint, chilli, garlic and ginger for a flavourful and texture-packed dish.

I actually cooked the thighs in the oven this time around but this works brilliantly on a barbecue - you will need to cook the chicken out of the direct heat of the coals for 40-45 minutes before resting. To serve, I went for roasted sweet potato chunks and slow-roasted red peppers but this works equally well with salad.

Barbecued Chicken with Yogurt, Lime and Almonds
Serves 4

8 free-range chicken thighs

3 large spring onions, sliced

Juice of 1 lime

For the marinade:

8 tbsp natural yogurt

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ground coriander

4 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste

5cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated

Grated zest and juice of 1 lime

2 chillies, finely sliced

2 tbsp ground almonds

2 tbsp. fresh mint, roughly chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Season the chicken pieces well with salt and pepper, then add them to the marinade and toss to combine, making sure they are all well coated. Cover and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 12 hours before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Lay the chicken out on a lined baking tray and roast for 30-40 minutes until golden, tender and cooked through. Turn the pieces halfway through cooking and spoon over any remaining marinade as you do so.

Allow the chicken pieces to rest on a warm platter for 5-10 minutes, then sprinkle over the sliced spring onions. Squeeze over the lime juice just before serving with roast sweet potatoes and red peppers (if you like).