Sticky pomegranate chicken with jewelled quinoa

You can cook the chicken straightaway but it’s definitely better to leave it overnight to marinate. Chicken thighs are best as they stay nice and juicy – opt for larger ones if possible.

Time Taken: 1¼ hours plus aT leasT 30 minuTes marinaTing serves 4 for The chicken

8 decent-sized chicken thighs, boneless

3 tbsp pomegranate molasses 2 tbsp tomato purée

2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated 1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp caster sugar juice of ½ lemon

2 tbsp olive oil handful pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

for The salad

200g quinoa

500ml vegetable stock

4 tbsp pomegranate seeds, plus extra to serve

4 spring onions, finely chopped 2 sticks celery, finely diced ½ cucumber, seeds removed and finely diced

1 red (bell) pepper, seeds removed and finely diced

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil juice of 1 lemon large handful each of mint, parsley and coriander, chopped flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

★ Mix the chicken with the pomegranate molasses, tomato purée, garlic, coriander, cumin, sugar, lemon juice and olive oil. Leave to marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes or overnight if you have the time.

★ Put the quinoa in a saucepan and cover with the stock. Bring to the boil

and cook at a fast boil for 2 minutes. Cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, without removing the lid. Then remove from the heat, keeping the lid on, and leave to sit for 5 minutes. By now the quinoa will have absorbed all of the stock and will be light and fluffy when you run a fork through to separate the grains. Leave to cool.

★ To cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Transfer the thighs, skin side up, and all of the marinade into a roasting tray just big enough to fit the thighs in one layer. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the chicken is sticky and golden, basting halfway through and adding a splash of water if the juices are cooking too quickly.

★ While the chicken cooks, toss the cooled quinoa with all of the remaining salad ingredients, reserving some of the pomegranate seeds for serving. Season to taste.

★ Once the chicken is cooked, serve with the jewelled quinoa salad, and scatter over the extra pomegranate seeds plus chopped pistachios.

flexible

Vegetarian Sticky Pomegranate Aubergine and Feta is a delicious meat-free alternative. Mix together the marinade ingredients. Cut 2 aubergines and 2 red onions into wedges. Put directly in a roasting tray with 200g feta cheese cut into large chunks. Gently mix with the marinade as above. Roast for about 30 minutes, basting occasionally, until tender and golden.

ChiCken and blaCk bean tinga taCos with watermelon salsa

Tinga is a Mexican dish where chicken is cooked with onion, tomatoes and chipotle sauce then shredded when cooked. I like to do a half chicken and half black bean combo to mix things up and reduce our meat intake. Put everything on the table to make a sharing supper for everyone to dig into.

Time Taken: 50 minuTes serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, grated or crushed 1 tsp dark brown sugar

1 tsp chipotle paste (or more for a spicier finish)

1 tsp red or white wine vinegar 400g can chopped tomatoes 400g can black beans or kidney beans, drained

2 chicken skinless breasts, or 350g boneless chicken thighs

For The salsa

300g watermelon, diced into small pieces

4 spring onions, chopped

½ green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

½ small bunch coriander, chopped

juice of ½ lime

2 tbsp olive oil flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

1 large ripe avocado, sliced or mashed sour cream

1 small red onion, finely sliced and mixed with juice of ½ lime grated cheddar cheese coriander leaves, roughly chopped soft corn or flour tortillas, warmed through

★ Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan or casserole dish.

★ Add the onion to cook for 5 minutes or until softened and starting to turn golden. Add the

garlic then cook for a further minute before stirring in the sugar, chipotle paste, vinegar, tomatoes, 200ml water and the black beans. Mix everything together and bring to a simmer.

★ Add the chicken to the pan, spooning over the sauce to cover. Put the lid on and simmer gently for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the sauce thickened.

★ Meanwhile, make the salsa by mixing everything together in a serving bowl and seasoning with salt and pepper.

★ Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and sit on a plate or board. Using two forks, shred into strips and then return the shredded meat back to the sauce.

★ Serve the tinga with the salsa,

Flexible

Pescatarian Swap the chicken for some chunky white fish such as cod, pollock or haddock. Let the tomato and black bean sauce cook alone for 20 minutes then add 400g fish fillets to the pan. Spoon over the sauce, cover with a lid then cook for 10 minutes. Break the fish into flakes in the pan and serve as above.

The chicken can sit in the fridge for 3-4 days and be heated through when needed. The recipe can also be doubled up so you can freeze half for another time.

avocado, sour cream, red onion, cheese and coriander. Pile everything into warm tortillas, wrap and prepare to get messy. Get ahead