Nigel Slater

Grilled (or Fried) Chicken with Chili, Lemon and Mint

You can grill the chicken, as I do here or fry it. The choice is yours. On the grill the smell reminds me of the open-air food stalls of Marrakech that reek of mint, lemon and smoke. Fried, the chicken tends to stay a little moister but you lose out on the deep smokiness that makes the grilled food so tempting. Decisions, decisions. Either way, it is an exciting way to cook little bits of bird. Come couscous, well buttered and flecked with coriander and sultanas, makes a lovely, soothing accompaniment to the spicy chicken

Enough for 2

Ingredients:

One pound (400g) free range chicken off the bone (breast, thigh meat, whatever)
1 medium-sized hot chili (or 2 bird's eye chilies), seeded and chopped
1 heaped teaspoon crushed dried chilies
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 pinches of saffron stamens
a handful of mint leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1 large or 2 small lemons
hunks of lemon, to serve

Method:
Cut the chicken into thick strips roughly the size of a finger and put them in a china or glass basin.

Whiz the fresh and dried chilies, the garlic, saffron, most of the mint, olive oil and most of the lemon juice in a blender or food processor till you have a thick, speckled, bright red, orange and green slush. Pour it over the chicken and toss gently. Set aside for half and hour for the chicken to take up some of the flavors of the marinade.

Heat a ridged grill pan and lightly oil it. When it is hot, add the strips of chicken, and any marinade clinging to them, and fry for three or four minutes on each side, till they are golden brown in patches. The will be firm to the touch and sticky. Watch that the chili does not burn; if it shows any sign of singeing, then turn down the heat. Season with a little salt and the remaining lemon juice and mint. Serve with hunks of lemon.