Here in London we have a week of festivities, parties & fireworks that started last night with Diwali – the Festival of Lights- with 5 days of celebrations; followed by the Mexican festival of Day of the Dead on 2nd November. The traditional celebration with fireworks, bonfires, and party food in the UK is Guy Fawkes Night ( 5th November). This marks the failed conspiracy in 1605  by a group opposed to King James I who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London ( Gunpowder Plot). However in recent times Halloween has grown enormously in popularity, with shops stocking more party stuff & food,  a few trick or treaters locally, lots of Halloween costumes & parties, &  permission to indulge & eat lots of sweets! I was lucky enough to visit Brooklyn last year, first time in US for Halloween and was amazed by the sophisticated costumes (something out of a film set) and the elaborate parades & parties- great fun! I thought I would share a favourite recipe both Simon & I love to make  that can easily be prepared in advance, is quick to cook, once you’ve returned from trick or treating ready for some tasty, healthy comfort food – a Halloween treat! Thanks to Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich @honeyandco for the recipe which I have tweaked slightly.

Ingredients  serves 4

Ingredients

For the marinade:

• 4 skinless & boneless chicken thighs
• 1 clove of garlic peeled & sliced
• 1 large mild/medium red chilli, sliced
• 1.5 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses
• 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil ( I used rapeseed, but sunflower or canola will also work)
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
• small pinch of sumac, for each chicken thigh

Chicken Marinading with a bit of spice!

To finish:

• 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil for browning the chicken
• freshly ground sea salt & black pepper
• 1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 small bunch of fresh mint, roughly chopped
• pistachio or almonds, roughly chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh pomegranate seeds

Method

Chicken thighs browning

• Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl & add the chicken, ensuring it is well coated in the marinade
• Sprinkle a small pinch of sumac over each chicken thigh
• Cover & marinade in the fridge for 2 hours or can even prepare up to 24 hours in advance
• Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a frying pan on a medium heat
• Heat the oven to 180C fan, 356F
• Remove the chicken from the marinade, pat off excess marinade with paper towel & season lightly with sea salt & black pepper
• Cook on each side for a 2-3 minutes to brown slightly
• Transfer to an oven proof dish along with the marinade
• Cook for 15 minutes in the oven, checking the chicken is cooked (pierce a small incision into the thickest area with the point of a knife & juices  should be clear)

Ready for the oven

To serve sprinkle with the pistachios or almonds, parsley, mint  and pomegranate seeds. This dish goes well with roasted pumpkin, butternut squash, or mixed veg, couscous, wild rice, lentils, or your favourite veggies or salad.

A tasty dish for Halloween  or Guy Fawkes Night- a  treat not a trick!