Harissa Marinated Chicken with Grapefruit Sauce

This is another adaptation from Ottolenghi/Tamimi, who are masters of blending flavors--this one can marinate overnight, or a couple of nights, and then it is an easy weeknight dinner to finish off.  Delicious!

8-10 BLSL chicken thighs and/or breasts

Marinade:

1 red pepper
¼ tsp coriander seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp caraway seeds
½ tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 mild fresh red chillies, seeded and roughly chopped
1 dried red chilli, seeded and roughly chopped

1/2 tbsp tomato puree

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp Greek yogurt

Grapefruit Sauce:

2/3 cup  pink grapefruit juice

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 tsp salt

a pinch ground cinnamon

1 star anise

First make the marinade for the chicken. Blister the skin off the pepper by holding it over a flame and letting it char, then peel it.  Saute the olive oil and add the seeds and stir, then add the red onion and the garlic and saute until soft.  Put all the marinade ingredients in a blender until very smooth texture is achieved.

To marinate the chicken, rub the marinade all over the chicken thighs. Put into a gallon sized bag, seal, and refrigerate overnight.

The next day make the sauce. The sauce makes the dish. Do not skip the sauce! It makes a great sauce for fish or pork, too.

Preheat the oven to 425. Lay out the chicken, well spaced, on a lined baking sheet and place in the hot oven. After 5 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350 and cook for another 12-15 minutes, until the chicken is almost cooked. Then, place it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to give it extra color and cook it through completely.

Meanwhile, place all the sauce ingredients in a small pan and bring to a light simmer. Simmer for about 20 min in a Windsor pan if you have one, or until reduced to a third.