Roasted Chicken with Saffron, Hazelnuts & Honey

Another yummy one inspired by Ottolenghi. I'm still a newbie to chicken thighs but they were hands down the best with this recipe. I'm still dreaming about this one and it's on the docket for this week's dinner.


Roasted Chicken with Saffron, Hazelnuts and Honey

Ingredients:
1 large organic/free-range chicken divided (or whatever parts of the chix you favor - we're breast and thigh people here)
2 onions, chopped
4 Tbls. olive oil
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
a generous pinch of saffron threads
juice of 1 lemon
4 Tbls cold water
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground pepper

3/4 c. hazelnuts

4 Tbls. honey
1 Tbls. water

2 green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. Mix the chicken with the onions, olive oil, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, lemon juice, water, salt and pepper. Marinate for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spread the hazelnuts out on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Chop and set aside.

3. Transfer the chicken and marinade to a baking sheet (make sure it's large enough to hold everything comfortably.) Arrange the chicken skin side up and place the pan in the oven for about 35 minutes.

4. While the chicken is roasting, mix the honey, water and nuts together to make a rough paste. Remove chicken from the oven and spoon the nut paste over each piece, spreading to cover. Return chicken to the oven for 5-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the nuts are golden brown.

5. Transfer chicken to a serving dish and garnish with chopped green onions. Enjoy!