Roasted chicken with creamy walnut sauce

Roasted chicken with creamy walnut sauce -

This Turkish-inspired sauce makes a wonderful alternative to a classic bread sauce.

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp paprika
2 tbsp olive oil
6 pitta breads
150ml hot chicken stock
175g walnuts
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
50ml single cream
juice 1 lemon
handful coriander, chopped

Method:

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In a roasting tin, toss together the chicken, cumin, paprika, 1 tbsp olive oil and seasoning. Cook for 40 mins until the chicken is crisp and cooked through.
Meanwhile, tear up 1 pitta bread and place in a small bowl. Pour over a couple of tbsp chicken stock and leave to soak. Dry-fry the walnuts in a frying pan for about 3 mins until golden and toasted. Set aside. Heat the remaining oil in the pan and cook the onion and garlic until softened. Place the softened pitta bread, onion mixture and most of the nuts into a blender. Pour over the rest of the chicken stock and whizz together until a rough paste forms. Return the mixture to the pan. Add the cream and lemon juice, season and keep warm.
When the chicken is cooked, arrange on a platter. Stir the coriander through the sauce and spoon into a bowl. Roughly chop the remaining walnuts and scatter over the chicken. Toast the pittas, cut into wedges and serve alongside

Walnut & apple strudels:
Heat 85g caster sugar and 25g butter in a pan. Tip in 2 peeled, chopped Granny Smith apples and pinch cinnamon, cook for 5-10 mins to soften. Stir in 25g toasted, chopped walnuts. Halve 2 large sheets filo pastry; brush with melted butter. Divide mixture between them and roll up like spring rolls. Brush with more butter and bake at 200C/180C fan/ gas 6 for 20 mins.