Harissa and Date Yogurt Marinated Chicken

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I am a complete sucker for anything with dates. I just love the rich, toffee sweetness of a good sticky date. And where I especially like to use dates is in savoury cooking. In this recipe, which also showcases yoghurt among other ingredients, I suggest blending the yogurt with the dates, some harissa, garlic and spices. You then use this mix as a marinade for the chicken, and no surprises, likewise, I am sure you’ll be happy to hear, this yogurt marinade makes for some truly delicious tasting chicken. For serving, you can’t go far wrong with cucumber, red onion, mint and roughly chopped pistachios, all piled into a warm flatbread

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INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

For the chicken;

4 large boneless chicken thighs, or use 8 smaller ones

200g plain yogurt 

2 - 4 tbsp harissa (according to taste, some like it hotter than others!)

30g dates, roughly chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, with lemon cut into 6 wedges

2 cloves garlic, cut in half

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground cumin 

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground turmeric 

Salt and pepper

For the salad;

1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced

50g pistachio, roughly chopped

Small bunch mint, leaves picked and thinly sliced, to use your favourite herb

4 flatbreads, to serve 

METHOD

1. Blend the yogurt with the spices, harissa, dates, lemon zest, 2 tbsp olive oil, the garlic and ½ tsp of salt

2. Pour the marinade over the chicken, ensuring the chicken is well coated. Then place the chicken in a covered bowl in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour.

3. Preheat the grill or oven to high temperature, very hot or 190C.

4. Grill or bake the chicken for around 15 - 20 minutes, or until fully cooked through. If you using the oven, and want a bit more colour, give it a final flash under a hot grill. Remove from the heat and rest for at least 5 - 10 minutes before slicing.

5. Warm flatbreads and mix the red onion, cucumber and mint together, squeezing the juice from 1/2 the lemon over, and keeping the remaining lemon as wedges to serve. Season to taste with salt and pepper

6. Serve the sliced chicken in the flatbreads, scraping up some of the yoghurt sauce into each wrap, then top with the salad and a squeeze of extra lemon.

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