Preparation	30 mins
Cook	1 hour 15 mins
Serves	6

Ingredients

For The Chicken

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Olive oil

12 free range chicken thighs, skin-on bone-in, excess sin neatly trimmed

3 red onions, cut into wedges

2 lemons, halved

½ pomegranate, seeds removed

 

For The Bulgar Wheat

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, finely chopped, seeds removed

700ml chicken or vegetable stock

325g bulgar wheat

15g flat leaf parsley, leaves finely sliced

Extra virgin olive oil

 

For The Fennel Salad

1 large bulb of fennel, very finely sliced

2 lemons

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cucumber, halved, core removed and finely sliced

1 bunch mixed soft herbs (dill, mint, parsley), leaves picked

30g whole almonds, toasted and sliced

 

METHOD

The Chicken

Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan/gas

Toast the coriander and fennel seeds in a small frying pan over a low heat, until lightly toasted.

Tip into a pestle and mortar with 1 teaspoon salt and bash until finely ground.

Add the garlic cloves and bash again.

Muddle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the red wine vinegar and pomegranate molasses.

Place the chicken thighs, red onion wedges and lemon halves in a snug-fitting roasting tray and rub the garlicky oil all over, on all sides.

Put the tray in the oven for 50 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and golden. Baste the chicken a couple of times during the cooking with the juices in the tray.

When cooked, remove the chicken from the oven, squeeze over the juice from the roasted lemons and spoon over the sticky roasting sauce.

Scatter over pomegranate seeds. Finish with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.

Serve alongside the herby bulgar wheat and crunchy fennel salad (prepare salads while chicken is in the oven).

The Bulgur Wheat

Heat the stock in a medium saucepan. Place another saucepan on a medium-low heat with a drizzle of olive oil.

Fry the onion for 5 minutes, until soft.

Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes, then add the bulgur wheat, stirring for another minute.

Pour in the hot stock and season lightly. Bring to the boil and pop on the lid.

Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 12-15 minutes until the bulgur wheat is cooked through and fluffy.

Remove from the heat. Cover the pan with a tea towel and put the lid on top to keep warm. When ready to serve, stir through the chopped parsley.

The Fennel Salad

Place the sliced fennel into a bowl of ice water along with the juice from 1 lemon.

In a large salad bowl, squeeze in the juice from the remaining lemon with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, season well and whisk together. Drain and spin the fennel, then add to the bowl of dressing along with the cucumber slices and mixed herb leaves. Toss together and scatter over the almond slices.