Harissa Chicken and Saffron Rice

A simple, bold and flavour-packed weeknight meal! North African harissa-spiced chicken and saffron basmati rice and golden saffron rice all cooked in one pan and topped with dill, cucumber and pomegranate seeds when it comes out the oven. Just put everything in the pan and let the oven do the magic. No pre-searing. No stirring. No stress. The result is a comforting and flavorful meal that’s ready to serve in under an hour.

	To serve
0.2 g Saffron strands 550 ml Hot beef or chicken stock 8 Chicken thighs, skin-on-bone-in Sea salt and freshly milled black pepper 3 tbsp Harissa paste 250 g Basmati rice, well rinsed and drained 2 tsp Chicken schmaltz or olive oil 1 Garlic clove, crushed	1/2 Cucumber, peeled, deseeded and sliced into half-moons Handful dill fronds, roughly chopped 3 Tbsp Pomegranate seeds

Preheat oven to 200C/400F. In a jug, mix the saffron with the hot stock and set aside briefly to infuse.
Meanwhile, cut a few slits into the top of each chicken thigh, deep into the meat, then put in a bowl with the harissa and some seasoning and mix to coat. In a large roasting tin or casserole (just large enough to fit all the chicken in a single layer), mix the well rinsed and drained basmati rice, chicken schmaltz and crushed garlic.
Stir the hot stock and saffron into the rice. Arrange chicken thighs on top, skin-side up, and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, until the rice is tender and slightly crispy on top and the chicken cooked through.
Remove from the oven and scatter over the cucumber, dill and pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!