Sweet and sour caramel chicken

Ingredients

• 8 whole chicken thighs
• 125g caster sugar
• 75ml pomegranate molasses
• 100ml orange juice
• a handful mint leaves, torn
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 2-3 tbsp pomegranate seeds

SPICE MIX

• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp caraway seeds

Description

• STEP 1

  Lightly toast the spice mix ingredients in a frying pan, then roughly crush with a pestle and mortar. Tip onto a plate to cool, then roll the chicken thighs in to coat, and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour or overnight.

• STEP 2

  Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Space the chicken thighs on a wire rack over a roasting tin and bake for 40 minutes.

• STEP 3

  Meanwhile, make the caramel by putting the sugar, molasses, orange juice and 75ml of water in a small, heavy-based pan. Cook gently until the sugar has melted, then bubble fiercely for 5 minutes until it has the consistency of maple syrup.

• STEP 4

  Remove the chicken from the oven and turn it up to 240C/fan 220C/gas 8. Lift the thighs off the rack, put them into the tin and pour the caramel all over them. If the caramel has gone too stiff on cooling, just warm it up again until pourable. Return the chicken to the oven and roast for 20 minutes, turning the thighs halfway, until dark brown and a little charred.

• STEP 5

  Tip the thighs and any remaining caramel onto a serving platter, then top with the mint leaves, sesame seeds and pomegranate seeds to serve.