Serves 4-6
Ingredients
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅓ cup neutral oil
4 boneless & skinless chicken thighs
¼ cup greek yoghurt
½ large cauliflower, broken into florets
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
½ cup pearl couscous
3 cups baby spinach leaves
½ cup slivered almonds
8 dates, stoned removed and roughly chopped
½ cup chopped fresh herbs, parsley, mint and/or coriander
¼ cup lemon juice
Sea salt
Cracked pepper
2 ripe avocados, cubed
Place the spices in a small fry over a medium heat. Dry fry for 1-2 minutes until the spices become aromatic and the paprika darkens slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the oil.
In a medium-sized roasting dish, mix together the chicken thighs, greek yoghurt and ⅓ of the spiced oil. Season with salt and pepper then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove from the fridge 20–30 minutes before baking to allow it to come to room temperature.
If marinating overnight, transfer the remaining spiced oil to an airtight container and refrigerate.
Heat the oven to 170ºC fan bake or 190ºC regular bake and line an oven tray with baking paper.
Place the cauliflower and red onion on the prepared tray. Drizzle with another third of the spiced oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place the chicken in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through, baste with the juices every 10 minutes. Cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Roast the cauliflower for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Add the chickpeas and return to the oven for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is golden and soft.
If your oven is large enough, roast the chicken and cauliflower side by side. Otherwise, place them on separate racks, swapping positions halfway through cooking.
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, cook the pearl couscous according to the packet instructions or until tender, roughly 8-10 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl.
Add the spinach to the hot couscous, then top with the roasted cauliflower, onions and chickpeas.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl along with the remaining ingredients, including the reserved spiced oil. Toss to combine, season to taste, then toss again.
Fold the avocado through just before serving, or serve it alongside.
This recipe was created for The Avo Tree by Olivia Galletly The Hungry Cook