John’s Chermoula Chicken
Here’s another traybake that’s flavorful and pretty easy to make. The recipe comes from the kitchen of my friend John, known for his innovative and tasty dishes. You can make the chermoula paste, but I’m sure you will be forgiven if you use one of the excellent gourmet store bought options!
Chermoula Paste
125g fresh coriander
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of chilli flakes
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Sea salt
Marinade
1 tablespoon chermoula paste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Dish
6 chicken thighs fillets, skin on or off, depending on your personal preference
3 lemon halves
A few sprigs of lemon thyme
Sea salt and ground black pepper to season
6 slices of prosciutto
To make the paste, blend everything in a food processor.
Marinate the chicken thigh fillets in a large bowl in the fridge with the chermoula paste, olive oil and the juice of the lemon. Leave for a few hours or preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C fan.
Remove the chicken mixture and place in an ovenproof baking dish. Add the 3 cut lemon halves and lemon thyme to the mixture, and season with salt and pepper. Finish by layering the prosciutto slices on the top. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
The chicken will give up a lot of juice, along with the lemons, so it’s great to serve this chicken dish with couscous or rice, or even crusty bread.