Freekeh with Chicken & Chickpeas

📝 Ingredients

• 250 g freekeh (cracked roasted green wheat)
• 600 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)
• 1 tin chickpeas (265 g drained)
• 1 brown onion (about 150 g) + 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp olive oil (2 tsp for the onion, 1 tsp for the chicken)
• 1 chicken stock cube + 650 ml hot water
• 2 tsp ground cumin + 1 tsp ground cinnamon (1 tsp cumin and ½ tsp cinnamon for the freekeh, the same for the chicken)
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 lemon (½ for the juice, ½ cut into wedges to serve)
• 40 g flaked almonds
• 15 g fresh parsley
• 200 g Greek yoghurt, 2% fat
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Ovenproof dish
• Saucepan with lid
• Frying pan
• Fine sieve
• Chopping board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 210 °C. Rinse the freekeh in a fine sieve under cold water, rubbing it between your fingers, then remove any small stones or bits of husk that rise to the surface. Drain well.
2. Slice the onion and chop the garlic. Fry them in a saucepan with 2 tsp olive oil over a medium heat for 5 min, until the onion is translucent, then add 1 tsp cumin and ½ tsp cinnamon and stir for 30 seconds.
3. Add the drained freekeh and stir for 1 min to coat it well. Pour in the stock (the cube dissolved in the 650 ml hot water), bring to a boil, then cover and cook for 20 to 25 min over a low heat, until the liquid is absorbed and the grains are tender but still slightly firm.
4. Meanwhile, in an ovenproof dish, coat the chicken thighs with the last tsp of oil, the remaining cumin and cinnamon, the paprika, the juice of the half lemon, salt and pepper. Lay them out flat, smooth side up, without overlapping.
5. Roast for 20 to 25 min, until the meat is nicely browned and the juices run clear when pierced, with no trace of pink. Baste once halfway through with the juices from the dish.
6. Rinse and drain the chickpeas, then add them to the freekeh for the last 5 minutes of cooking to warm through. Off the heat, leave to rest for 5 min, covered, fluff up with a fork, taste and adjust the salt.
7. Toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2 to 3 min, stirring constantly, until lightly golden. Tip them straight onto a plate: they burn in seconds. Finely chop the parsley.
8. Spoon the freekeh onto a large serving dish, lay the chicken thighs on top and drizzle with the cooking juices. Scatter over the almonds and parsley, then serve with the Greek yoghurt and the remaining half lemon cut into wedges.