Roasted Chicken Thighs with Feta
Photo by: Lucy Alexander
This may seem like an unusual combination but stick with me here. The melted chunks of salty feta (make sure you get Greek Feta-it melts more evenly and is less gritty), along with wedges of roasted red onions that sweeten as they roast, top a crunchy spice-rubbed juicy chicken thigh—yum! Another bonus is that you can prepare and cook this dish in less than an hour. If you haven’t heard of ras el hanout (translated as head of the shop) you will be pleasantly surprised by its familiar flavor. There are recipes to make your own ras el hanout on line and you can also find it in many fully stocked grocery stores. It is a combination of cardamom, allspice, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, red pepper, turmeric, coriander, nutmeg, and ginger. An added bonus is the smell. The spice is dry-rubbed into the chicken thighs, which smell fantastic as they roast.
Photo by: Lucy Alexander
Ingredients:
8 bone-in chicken thighs
3 red onions peeled- root end kept intact but quartered
7 ounces feta cubed- Greek Feta if you can get it
2 tablespoons of canola or grapeseed oil
5 tablespoons ras el hanout
2 teaspoons each red chili flakes and dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to taste
Adapted from Donal Skehan’s Meals in Minutes
Preheat oven 400°
In a large bowl mix the red chili pepper flakes, oregano, ras el hanout, salt and pepper together; add chicken thighs and mix, leaving no spice in the bottom of the bowl. Place the chicken on a baking sheet along with the wedges of onion. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of oil and roast for 30 minutes. While the chicken is cooking break the feta into pieces (approximately 1 1/2 inch chunks). When the chicken is crispy-ish add the feta and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Put back in the oven and cook another 15 minutes until the cheese has softened and slightly melted.
Photo by: Lucy Alexander