Gooey Fragrant Chicken
Gooey Fragrant Chicken
Gooey fragrant chicken is splendiferous and I was relieved it turned out so well. Fragrant chicken might appear to have a few weird combinations in the recipe, but have faith and stick with it. It’s worth the experimentation. I must admit, I doubted how delicious this would be when I was putting it all together, but it worked – brilliantly. Even my son, who can be a bit fussy, gobbled it all up.
For a deeper flavour, use chicken thighs in this recipe, but if you prefer breasts, these work very well too. I mixed up breasts and thighs so everyone could eat their favourite.
Gooey fragrant chicken benefits from marinating overnight if possible, but if not, leave it for a minimum of an hour or so.
Gooey Fragrant Chicken
Serves 4 as a main course
8 chicken thighs or 4 breasts
2 red onions, chopped chunky
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of one lemon
3 tbsp water
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
6 – 8 strands saffron
Good pinch of sea salt
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rosewater
How to prepare gooey fragrant chicken
In a large, oven-proof casserole dish, mix the chicken together with the oil, water, onions, lemon juice, ginger, saffron, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Marinate for a minimum of one hour, ideally leave it overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/ Gas 4. Place the casserole dish on the middle shelf with the chicken thighs, skins facing upwards. Cook for approximately 40 minutes. While the chicken is roasting, in a small bowl, mix the honey and rosewater.
(Note that some rosewater is stronger than others. My current bottle is quite strong – try a drop on your fingertip to get an idea of its strength. For a strong rosewater, use only 1 tsp. For a weaker rosewater, you might need to use 2 tbsps. The flavour should be very subtle when the chicken is ready.)
Remove the soon-to-be fragrant chicken from the oven and spoon the rosewater and honey mix over each chicken joint. Return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, browning well and deliciously gooey.
Serve with brown rice and fresh salad leaves.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoy it!
Check out my other chicken recipes!:
Left over chicken comfort meal
Chicken and Bacon Caesar Salad
Chicken and bacon in smoky tomato sauce
Smooth and earthy chicken and mushroom curry
Zesty coconut chicken with coriander and garam masala