Chicken brochette with maftoul salad
Meat mains
Chicken brochette with maftoul salad
There is the first whiff of a summer BBQ in this recipe. Although this may be optimistic in the extreme, it will work wonders over BBQ coals. You can marinate the chicken a day ahead if you want a deeper flavour. Just avoid adding the salt and pepper until you are ready to cook them.
Cook's notes
You should always soak bamboo skewers before using. It means the heat spends its time having to evaporate the water before it can think about burning the bamboo. If you make this again and have a rosemary bush, then try threading the chicken onto a few sturdy twigs stripped of their leaves. You can add the leaves to your marinade.
Ingredients
- 6 bamboo skewers
- 1 lemon
- 3 garlic cloves
- 10g rosemary
- 1 red onion
- 1 red pepper
- 300g diced chicken leg
- light olive oil
- 150g maftoul
- 50g watercress
- 40g dried apricots
- 1 beetroot
- 200ml yoghurt
- 40g chopped hazelnuts
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Preheatoven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Put the kettle on to boil. Cover the skewers in cold water until you need them. Make the marinade by zesting and juicing the lemon. Smash 2 garlic cloves with the flat of your knife or the heel of your hand until split open.
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Step 2
Rub and crush the rosemary in your hands to help release the fragrant oils. Peel the red onion and cut into 6 equal sized wedges. Cut each wedge in half widthways. Deseed the red pepper. Cut it into 12 roughly equal pieces.
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Step 3
Mix the diced chicken, peppers and onion with half the lemon juice and zest. Add the split garlic cloves, rosemary and 2 tablespoons of light olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Leave to marinate in a bowl or tray for 15 minutes.
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Step 4
While the chicken marinates, place the maftoul in a small saucepan and cover with 500ml of hot water from the kettle. Season with a good pinch of salt and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes until it is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
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Step 5
While the maftoul cooks, wash the watercress. Shake or spin it dry and coarsely chop it. Chop the apricots into chunky dice. Make the tzatziki by peeling and grating the beetroot. Peel and finely chop or crush the remaining garlic clove.
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Step 6
Mix the beetroot and half the garlic with the yoghurt. Season with salt and pepper. Turn your grill onto high or put the griddle pan on a high heat if using. Take your skewers and thread an even mix of chicken, peppers and onion wedges on to all 6 of them.
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Step 7
Grill or griddle the chicken for about 12 minutes, turning often until cooked through and nicely coloured. While the brochettes cook mix the warm maftoul with the hazelnuts, apricots and chopped watercress.
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Step 8
Add the remaining lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix and season to suit your taste with salt, pepper and a dash of two of the remaining lemon juice. Serve the brochettes atop the maftoul with a vivid blob of tzatziki on the side.
