This is summer. Eating things out of crisp lettuce leaves and having lovely light suppers in the sun. Maybe with a glass of something delicious in the other hand. Like sparkling water with fresh mint – yeah that’s definitely what I was dreaming about;)

This recipe looks more complicated than it is, I’ve been really descriptive of how to marinade and cook the chicken so that you get that crisp, tacky skin. Yes I know chicken skin is not a health food! You could easily marinade skinless chicken thighs, or even chicken breast (just bash it nice and thin first so it doesn’t dry out while cooking) instead and just pan fry them. That would be yummy too.

This version is more impressive if you’re cooking for guests. It’s also where most of the fat in the dish is coming from so I’m not too stressed about eating a little chicken skin occasionally. I also like the idea of not wasting stuff when I’m eating meat so I tend to by the thighs as cutlets meaning the skin and bone is attached and I then remove the bones and feed them to my cat (with a little meat on them) as the vet recommended this for his teeth, or I use them to make chicken stock.

You can also leave out the rice and fill them with quinoa, zoodles or shredded carrot or cabbage instead. I like the nuttiness of the brown rice with the rest of the flavours but if you’re going for a low carb option you could easily swap it for any of the above.

The crispy chicken with the salty and slightly sour marinade and sharp pickled radish is a total dream. And then served on top of the rice to soak up the flavour and the lettuce cup for texture, freshness and contrast – it means it has all the things. I love finishing with some fresh mint and spring onion to add to that fresh and light feeling.

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g chicken thighs, skin on

1 cup brown rice

6 radish, julienned

1 tsp salt

1 Tbs white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp coconut sugar/brown sugar/rapadura sugar

2-3 baby gem or cos lettuce (you want 16 leaves)

Marinade

2 tsps tamarind paste

2 tsps chilli and garlic oil (I use a store bought crushed chilli version, like what you find at your fave dumpling joint)

2 tsp mirin

2 tsps soy (tamari for gf)

To serve

1/4 cup finely sliced spring onion

1/4 cup finely sliced mint leaves (roll a bunch of them into a cigar and slice finely)

Directions

Combine marinade ingredients, reserve 1/2  and brush the other half on the flesh side of the chicken, place skin side up to marinate, making sure you don’t get marinade on the skin. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the skin and set aside for at least 15 minutes (up to overnight but 15 minutes will do!).

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Prepare a baking tray large enough to fit the chicken pieces in a single snug layer. Line wiht parchment paper.

Combine radish, salt, sugar and vinegar in a small non reactive bowl. Add enough water to just cover the radish and toss well. Set aside.

Cook rice by rinsing well and then combining with 1.5 cups of water in a pot with a fitted lid. Bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer, cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to sit covered for 10 minutes. Fluff before serving.

Meanwhile, heat a large non stick pan over medium high heat. Once hot place the chicken in skin side down and cook for 5-7 minutes. You want the skin to be golden brown and shrunk, meaning it has rendered and a lot of the fat has cooked out.

Once it is golden, remove the chicken from the pan and place on your prepared tray with the skin side up. Brush very lightly with a little of the reserve marinade. Keep the remaining for serving. Cook the chicken in the oven for a further 10 minutes or until the skin has crisped up again and the thigh is cooked through.

Separate the leaves of the cos and rinse well, set aside to dry.

Remove from the oven and slice into 5mm thick pieces using a sharp knife. Place a tsp or so of rice in the bottom of each lettuce cup, drizzle over a tiny bit of the reserved marinade, top with chicken, radish, spring onion and mint.

HH. x