This week on Farmer's Kitchen presented by Spinneys, Helen is joined by Zahra Abdalla from Zahra's Kitchen. Zahra's Kitchen was created to serve you guys some of Zahra's favourite healthy and delicious dishes that she loves to eat and make for her family and friends. She has a wonderful collection of snack and nibbles, salads, wraps and signature bowls that everyone will love. 

This week Helen and Zahra are creating a one pot Saffron Chicken using Spinneys fresh ingredients. Check out the recipe below...

RECIPE

Serves 6-8

• 8 chicken thighs
• 2 cups freekeh
• 2 medium onions, diced

• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cardamom pods
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• pinch of ground saffron
• 1 tsp rose water
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp 7-spice powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup mixed nuts
• handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped

METHOD

1. Soak the freekeh in water for one hour, drain and keep aside
2. Prepare a dry spice rub: combine cinnamon 7-spice, turmeric, pepper and salt. Wash and pat dry the chicken, coat with spice rub and leave to rest
3. In a large shallow cast iron pot saute the onions, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods and olive oil. Fry until onions are translucent. Add ginger, garlic and freekeh and mix together well.Continue to stir until freekeh is slightly fragrant and toasted.
4. Layer the chicken over the freekeh mixture. Add saffron and rose water to the chicken stock and pour the mixture over the freekeh and chicken. Bring to the boil then cover and leave to simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes or until the freekeh is fully cooked.
5. Once the freekeh is cooked, remove the pot from the heat, garnish with chopped parsley and toasted nuts. Serve with side of mint and cucumber yoghurt salad.