There are some ingredients that I can’t help but think of as edible jewels, glamorizing and adorning whatever culinary creation you choose to scatter them over. Pomegranates are the most obvious, those little sweet stones adding a dramatic ruby flourish and a burst of vitamin-rich sweetness to anything that needs a bit of visual magic; I particularly love them paired with snowy white goat’s cheese or yoghurt for the ultimate colour contrast. There are also pistachios, adding flecks of emerald to salads or grains, or, when finely ground, imparting their incredible vibrant green to a cake mixture. Clementines, too – though we tend to simply eat peel and eat them unadulterated, those bright marigold segments are beautiful to cook with, adding a snap of colour and a fresh citrus hit to salads and stews.
This gorgeous dish features all three in a starring role. This yoghurt chicken stew is barely adapted from a Diana Henry recipe (from her wonderful book
A Change of Appetite
, worthy purchasing for the photography alone). For not many ingredients you get an incredible depth of comforting flavour; the stew is rich in earthy garlic and onions, with the fragrance of a little cumin and the slight heat of cayenne and chilli, all enveloped in a creamy yoghurt sauce. I add a little orange zest and JustIngredients orange peel powder to give it a bit of a lift. It works wonderfully with meaty chicken thighs, and needs only a scattering of pomegranate seeds to cut through the richness and add some vibrant colour.
But I like some sharp sweetness with my meaty main courses, so I decided to serve this with a side of giant couscous (this is the first time I’ve cooked it, and I am hooked on its glorious squidgy yet firm texture, so much better than mealy, powdery normal couscous), mixed with chopped clementine segments, a generous scattering of fresh coriander, some seasoning, and those beautiful toasted pistachios, great for texture against the creamy stew. I made it up as I went along, but it worked fabulously with the chicken – you need some sturdy, bolstering grains alongside (I think bulgur wheat or pearl barley would also be excellent) and a little more fruit, and this provided just that.
Plus, it might be the most beautiful thing I’ve cooked in ages. Those colours are simply stunning. My mother has always lamented my predilection for ‘glitzy’ things. It would seem this extends into the kitchen too. Sorry Mum.
Spiced pomegranate yoghurt chicken with clementine and pistachio giant couscous (serves 4):
For the chicken:
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- A pinch of chilli flakes
- A pinch of cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 400ml chicken stock
- 300ml thick yoghurt
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- Zest of half an orange
- ½ tsp orange peel powder
- Seeds from 1 pomegranate
- Chopped fresh coriander
For the couscous:
- 200g giant couscous
- 4 clementines, peeled and diced
- 4 tbsp pistachio nuts, toasted and sliced
- Salt and pepper
- Chopped fresh coriander
Heat the oil in a large lidded pan. Brown the chicken over a high heat then remove and set aside. Turn the heat down and sauté the onion until softened and just golden. Add the cumin, chilli, cayenne, salt and garlic, and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the stock, return the chicken to the pan, bring to the boil then lower the heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for another 15 minutes to reduce the sauce.
Mix the yoghurt with the flour. Add a few tablespoons of the hot chicken sauce to the yoghurt, mix well, then add the yoghurt mix to the chicken pan along with the orange zest. Heat through, then garnish with the pomegranate seeds and coriander.
For the couscous, boil the giant couscous for 8 minutes, then drain well. Mix with the clementine pieces, pistachios, seasoning and some coriander. Serve alongside the chicken.
