Recipe and Images by Kathy Paterson
A fresh and crunchy salad with warm saffron-infused chicken thighs gives a little light relief from those heavier winter meals.
Begin this recipe the day before.
Serves 4
a good pinch of saffron threads
1 small onion, coarsely grated
5 tbsp plain thick yoghurt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for the salad
600g boneless and skinless chicken thighs
1 lemon
1 radicchio, leaves separated and torn into small pieces
4 handfuls of small salad leaves
a few green olives, pitted and cut in half or sliced
Warm the saffron threads in a heavy-based pan over a gentle heat. Remove and leave for a minute before crushing with your fingers into a cup. Pour in 2 tablespoonfuls of warm water and leave to infuse for about 10 minutes.
Put the onion, yoghurt, oil and the saffron with its water in a bowl. Add the chicken thighs, season and cover. Leave in the fridge overnight. (Or you can marinate for a few hours if want to cook the same day.)
The next day, juice the lemon and stir 1 tablespoonful through the marinated chicken. Leave covered to return to room temperature (about 30 minutes) then drain the chicken in a large sieve to remove excess liquid.
Heat a large frying pan or ridged pan (to give you grill lines) over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook for 8–10 minutes until cooked through. This will depend on the size of your chicken thighs. Remove, season with salt and set aside to rest while you assemble the salad.
To serve, fill a good-sized shallow bowl with the torn radicchio leaves and the salad leaves. Drizzle over a little olive oil and the remaining lemon juice. Slice the chicken thighs and arrange over the salad. Scatter over the olives.
Tip
Cut one more lemon into wedges for serving, if wished. Or if your salad is too acidic, counteract by adding a dash more salt.
