Roast Chicken with Sumac, Onions and Pine Nuts
Introduction
Chicken roasted with sumac is Lebanese in origin. Sumac is a red powder ground from a berry and is lemony in flavour.
Ingredients
4 tbsp | olive oil |
1 | medium organic or free-range chicken (1.5-1.7kg), jointed into 8 pieces (leave the skin on) |
6 | small new season’s onions whole, (or 12 spring onions), sliced in 2cm lengths |
2 tbsp | sumac |
50g | pine nuts |
3 tbsp | water |
Essential kit
You will need a wide (30cm) ovenproof frying pan.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a wide (30cm) ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and brown them thoroughly on all sides, skin-side first. Remove the chicken from the pan and pour off the fat. Put the onions in the still-hot pan and sprinkle with half the sumac, the remaining tablespoon of oil and some salt and pepper. Arrange the pieces of chicken on top, skin-side up, and sprinkle with the pine nuts and the remaining sumac. Put the pan over a medium heat for 5 minutes to get the onions going, then transfer to the oven. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish, add the water to the onions to make a chunky sauce, and pour it over the chicken.