Saffron Poached Chicken with Roasted Onion and Cumin Hummus

My Saffron Poached Chicken with Roasted Onion and Hummus is a really simple recipe that I created after I was inspired by a book on the flavours of the Middle East.  The addition of rocket gives a wonderful pepperiness and the sumac a nice citrus overtone.

Ingredients

• 6 Chicken Thighs (Skin and bones removed)
• ½ teaspoon Saffron
• Tin of Chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons Tahini
• 1 Onion (roasted)
• 4 cloves of Garlic (roasted)
• 2 heaped teaspoons Cumin Powder
• Water
• Milk
• Salt to season
• Lemon juice to season
• Rocket
• Sumac

Method

Cut the onion in half and along with the garlic cloves, leaving them in their skins, wrap in aluminium foil and place into a preheated 180ºC oven for 20 minutes.

Cut the chicken thighs lengthwise into three pieces and place into a shallow ovenproof dish.

Place the saffron into a small bowl and pour on to the saffron about 2 teaspoons of warm water and mix. Pour this over the chicken and add enough milk to just about cover the meat. Cover the bowl with aluminium foil and place in the fridge for about 6 hours to marinade. Stir the chicken half way through, so the saffron evenly marinates the chicken. Place the dish in a 180ºC oven and cook for 20 minutes.

To make the hummus, remove the onion and garlic from their skins. Place them into a food mixer along with the drained chickpeas, tahini and cumin powder. Start to blend the ingredients, adding water to get a smooth creamy consistency. Season with lemon juice and salt to suite your palate.

 

When the chicken has cooked, heat a griddle pan to smoking hot and sear it quickly on each side, until you get black griddle marks on the thigh pieces.

To plate, place ¾ of the hummus on a large serving plate. Place the rocket leaves onto the hummus and then your chicken. Add blobs of the remaining hummus around the chicken and carefully sprinkle sumac over the dish. Serve with pitta bread.

Saffron Poached Chicken with Roasted Onion and Cumin Hummus