Ingredients
- 1 orange
- 2 1/2 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp saffron threads
- 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 2 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2/3 cup basil leaves, chopped
- 2/3 cup mint leaves, chopped
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 red chile, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 pinch lemon pepper
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Trim and discard 3/8 inch off the top and tail of the orange and cut into 12 wedges, keeping skin on. Remove any seeds.
- Place wedges in a small saucepan with honey, saffron, vinegar, and just enough water to cover orange wedges. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for about an hour. At the end you should be left with soft orange and about 3 tbsp of this syrup; add water during the cooking if the liquid gets very low.
- Use a food processor to blend the orange and syrup into a smooth, runny paste; again, add a little water if needed.
- Mix the chicken breast with half of the olive oil and plenty of lemon pepper and place on a very hot griddle pan. Sear for about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to roasting pan and place in oven for 15 to 20 minutes until just cooked.
- Once the chicken is cool enough to handle but still warm, tear it with your hands into rough, quite large pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl, pour over half the orange paste and stir well.
- Add remaining ingredients to serve, including rest of olive oil, and toss gently. Taste, add more lemon pepper, olive oil and lemon juice if needed.
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.
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