Succulent chicken thighs cooked in a sweet and spicy marinade served with herbed basmati rice mange tout and spring onions. Makes a quick dinner after a busy day at work, also reheats very well the next day.

Serves 4

1tbs harissa

2tbs clear honey

8 skinless boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of all fat and gristle

100g mange tout

8 spring onions

For the Rice

Low – calorie cooking spray

350g white basmati rice

1 large onion, chopped

600ml chicken stock

½ tsp lazy chilli

3tbs fresh parsley, chopped

3tbs fresh coriander, chopped plus a few leaves to garnish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 c, gas 6, 400f

Place the chicken thighs in a non – stick oven proof dish, lightly slash the top of the chicken. Mix the harissa and honey to make a marinade, then brush over the top of the chicken. Set the chicken aside to marinate for 20 minutes, then place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and sticky.

Spray a lidded saucepan with the low – calorie cooking spray, add the chopped onion and cook gently for 5 minutes, add the rice, stock, lazy chilli and salt and pepper, bring to the boil, stir once, put the lid on and reduce the heat to low and leave to cook for 10 minutes.

Turn the heat off and leave the rice to steam for a further 5 minutes without lifting the lid, uncover fluff up the grains with a fork and stir in the herbs.

Blanch the mange tout and spring onions in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and halve the mange tout lengthways, then stir into the rice.

Pile the herbed rice, spring onions and mange tout on to a plate top with 2 pieces of chicken per person sprinkle with a few coriander leaves and serve.

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