Olia Hercules' recipe for kefir & herb barbecued chicken

The ex-Ottolenghi chef shares a summer recipe from her new cookbook, Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine & Beyond
Sizzling: Olia Hercules' barbecued chicken
Olia Hercules3 August 2015

This is my dad’s creation. He actually used apricot jam instead of honey last summer and nobody clocked where the caramelized amazingness was coming from. I am going for a less wacky honey option here. This recipe is good for using up soft herb stalks that you don’t need – they are full of flavour. Throw washed coriander roots in there, too, if you get your herbs from a local grocer rather than a supermarket.

Kefir & herb barbecued chicken recipe

Serves 6–8

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

60g (2¼ oz) coriander stalks and leaves, roughly chopped

60g (2 ¼ oz) parsley stalks and leaves, roughly chopped

250g (8oz) kefir or natural yogurt

75g (3oz) clear honey

2 teaspoons piri piri sauce

1kg (2lb) boneless chicken thighs

sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Olia Hercules - in pictures

1/4

Method

1 To make the marinade, place all of the ingredients, except the meat, into a food processor and blitz.

2 Place the mixture into a large container and check the seasoning before you drop the chicken in. When you are happy with the sweet, salty, spice balance, add the chicken. Rub the marinade all over the chicken, cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or preferably overnight.

3 Preheat a barbecue. Take the chicken out of the marinade and throw the pieces on the hottest part of the barbecue. Cook for 10 minutes on each side or until the juices run clear, then devour.

An extract from Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine & Beyond by Olia Hercules (Mitchell Beazley, £25)

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