After all the excitement of Britmums Live I am playing catch up with enormous piles of freelance work which I have been ignoring in favour of the blog. But first I have to post this recipe for delicious Harissa drumsticks with tabbouleh (you can see how no work ever gets done).
Sainsbury’s send me their new Harissa paste to try – part of a range which includes garlic, ginger, basil, lemon grass and chilli in small tubes. I loved the convenience of using this paste and the smallness of the tube means less chance of it being left in the back of the fridge to gather dust (sorry to admit this is what happens to green Thai paste every single time).
The paste has a good spicy kick so tread carefully when using it – the recommended amount is 1tbsp per 100g of food. I used it on drumsticks to create a meal to feed four in less than 30 minutes. I expect it works really well with lamb as well as vegetables to create hearty stews.
Easy Harissa chicken with tabbouleh
- Place the bulgur wheat in a large bowl and cover with plenty of cold water. Leave for 15 minutes until most of the water has been absorbed then fluff up with a fork (drain if there’s any water leftover). Alternatively you can boil the bulgur wheat for 10 minutes then drain and cool completely before using.
- Add the lemon juice and olive oil and toss to combine.
- Add the chopped parsley, vegetables and olives and mix thoroughly. Season to taste and serve.
For the chicken
- Preheat the oven to 160C | 325F.
- Put the chicken in the roasting bag and add the paste and lemon juice. Seal the bag and ‘massage’ the meat so that it is well covered in the paste. Either marinate in the fridge overnight or for an hour at room temperature (or you can use straight away).
- Place the bagged chicken on a tray and position either in the middle or bottom self of the oven (the bag expands with steam),
- Cook for 25 minutes then take out of the oven and carefully pierce the bag to release the steam.
- Transfer the chicken and sauce onto the tray and roast for 5 minutes to crisp the skin (optional). Make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked before serving.
- Serve with the tabbouleh and season with salt and pepper to taste.
simone11 says
tthis looks a great meal for all picnics as well
Flick says
I wouldn't get any work done either if I had the premise of this recipe in front of me.
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Abigail Cullen says
This chicken meal looks really nice, I love the look of the Tabbouleh also.
Ciara (My Fussy Eater) says
I'll be blogging a similar recipe later this week, but peri peri chicken. Never thought to use those roasting bags though – brilliant idea. I've only ever used them when they came in those packets with seasoning.
Elizabeth says
This looks gorgeous! I've never tried a roasting bag but you've convinced me I should look out for them. Yum!