Middle Easternstyle chicken legs

Tom Kerridge says: “Sumac and Baharat spices really lift the flavour of the chicken in this dish, imparting a delicious citrus tang and smoky finish. This is enhanced by cooking on the barbecue for a wonderful charred taste and colour. The dish is finished in the oven so you can be sure it is cooked through and you can tend to other elements of your Sunday lunch whilst it’s cooking.”

Prep time: 40 mins (30 mins marinade time) Cook time: 40 mins (15 mins on the barbecue, then 25 mins in the oven)

Rest time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

● 6 chicken leg portions

● 30ml extra virgin olive oil

● 3 cloves garlic, finely grated

● 1 tbsp sumac

● 1 tbsp Baharat spice blend

● 1-2 tsp flaky sea salt

● Juice of 1 lemon

● 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

● 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

● Extra sumac to sprinkle

● Lemon wedges

Method:

1. Cut parallel slashes about 2.5cm apart all the way to the bone on both sides of each chicken leg. Lay out on to a baking tray.

2. Place the olive oil, garlic, sumac, Baharat spice blend, salt, lemon juice and pomegranate molasses into a bowl and mix well. Pour the marinade over the chicken and rub into both sides of the chicken legs until thoroughly coated. Place in the fridge and leave to marinade for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to two hours.

3. While the chicken is marinating, prepare your barbecue for cooking. And preheat the oven to 180C fan.

4. Remove the chicken from the fridge around 20 minutes before you are ready to cook to bring it up to room temperature.

5. When the chicken is ready, lay it on to the barbecue in a single layer and cook for four-five minutes on each side or until it has evenly charred on both sides. Remove from the barbecue and transfer to an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper. Place this on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through. Leave to rest for five minutes before serving. Transfer to a serving platter and pour all of the resting juices over the chicken. Sprinkle with parsley and a little sumac and serve with lemon wedges.

Tom’s tips

Don’t waste the resting juices of the chicken here – they are packed full of flavour plus they help to keep the chicken juicy as it cools. Rest the chicken to allow the juices to be absorbed back into the meat.

Out of barbecue season you could cook the chicken on a griddle pan then finish it in the oven.