This recipe for ras el hanout chicken is so juicy and flavoursome. We love the healthy side dish of vibrant green rice.

What's the temperature for cooked chicken thighs?

The easiest way to know when your oven-baked chicken thighs are safely cooked but still nice and tender is to cook them to a core temperature of 74 °C. You should check each thigh to make sure it's done because you'll find the temperature can vary between each. We recommend using the Thermapen ONE thermometer for this because its one-second readings will make it super quick and easy to probe each one without having to wait ages for the temperatures to stabilise. 

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6

Difficulty: Easy 

Prep time: 30 minutes

Chicken cooking temperature: 74 °C

For the ras el hanout chicken thighs

• 8 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on
• 1 tbsp ras el hanout
• 2 tbsp runny honey
• 1 tsp salt
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes

For the Mexican green rice

• 300g long-grain white rice
• 550ml vegetable stock
• Small bunch of parsley, chopped
• Small bunch of coriander, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, roughly chopped
• ½ red onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 30ml olive oil
• Seasoning

Directions

To make the Mexican
green rice

• Place the herbs, peppers, onion, garlic and 120ml of the stock in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
• Heat the oil in a pan. Add the rice and stir to coat all the grains with oil, until lightly browned.
• Let it cook for a few minutes.
• Add the rest of the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes until the rice is cooked.
• Remove from the heat and leave covered for 15 minutes.
• Stir well before serving and garnish with sour cream and coriander oil.

To make the ras el hanout chicken thighs

• Mix all the ingredients together and place in a bowl or in a zip bag with the chicken thighs. Leave to marinate for two hours, but ideally overnight.
• Preheat your oven to 200 °C/ 180 °C fan/ gas mark 6.
• Bake until the chicken temperature reaches 74 °C degrees and the skin is golden and crispy. Insert your meat thermometer into the thickest part of each thigh to check this. They should take around 25-35 minutes to come to temperature.

Laura Tulloch

Thermapen Chef & Caterer

@laura_sussexfoodie

"I love my Thermapen, it really helps me cook with confidence. As a caterer the health and safety of everyone you cook for is paramount, but that doesn't mean you have to compromise with your cooking. A simple reassuring check with the Thermapen throughout the process is all that's needed to allow you to enjoy, and confidently serve what you've made."