Chicken and Bulgur Wheat

Chicken and Bulgur Wheat
Bulgur wheat – you know it’s good for you, and it’s also unbelievably cheap, but
there’s the conundrum of how to prepare it. To realise the potential of humble
bulgur wheat, all you have to do is cook this recipe. It uses saffron – admittedly
a pricey ingredient – but it is this that makes the dish fit for kings and rajas.
SERVES 4
Make up your chicken stock however you normally do it.
Assuming you are adding water to a cube or jelly, once you have
500ml chicken stock
poured the water in, add the saffron strands. Leave this to sit and
About 8 strands of
infuse while you carry on with the rest of the dish.
saffron
4 tbsp oil
6 chicken thighs,
skin on and bone in
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan over a medium
to high heat. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
Once the oil is hot, add the chicken skin-side down (this may
have to be done in batches) and fry for 3–4 minutes before
1 red onion, peeled
turning to fry for a further 3–4 minutes. The flesh and skin
and finely chopped
should be nicely browned. Transfer the browned meat to a plate.
2 celery sticks, finely
chopped
Add the remaining oil to the pan (if needed) and tip in the
1 cinnamon stick,
chopped red onion and celery. Fry over a medium to high
snapped in half
heat for 3–4 minutes until the onion becomes soft. Turn down
2 tbsp tomato purée
175g bulgur wheat
the heat if the onion starts to burn. Add the cinnamon stick
and the tomato purée. Cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring
frequently. Add the bulgur wheat and raisins and return the
50g raisins
browned chicken thighs to the pan. Mix all the ingredients
100g feta cheese
together for 2–3 minutes.
Handful of mixed
freshly chopped
Pour in the infused stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the
parsley and mint
heat to a simmer, clamp on a lid and leave to cook for 15
(optional)
minutes, stirring delicately every now and then. After this
Salt and pepper
time, turn off the heat and leave to sit for a further 10 minutes,
covered. The bulgur wheat should have absorbed the chicken
stock and expanded. Remove the lid and ‘rough up’ the bulgur
wheat with a fork.
Serve this Eastern delight with crumbled feta and fresh
parsley and mint (if using) sprinkled on top.
136 | Crowd Pleasers
STUDENT BEANS_BOOK_ABH.indb 136-137
10/05/2013 17:11