Here, it’s served with a feta and chilli yogurt dip, or poured over the top, and the whole dish is sometimes garnished with lemon slices.
timing
Prep time: 30 minutes, plus optional marinating time
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serve
Four
material
- 6 bone-in chicken thighs with skin
- 2 lemons, extra for serving (optional)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little more for frying
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 20g unsalted butter
- 75g glass noodles (or thin rice noodles)
- 250g long grain rice
- 750ml chicken stock
- 2 red chili peppers
- 1 garlic clove
- 200g feta cheese
- 150g Greek yogurt
- 100g mayonnaise
- 40g Kefalotiri or Pecorino cheese
- Finely chopped parsley (optional)
Method
- Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl. Finely grate the zest of 1 lemon. Squeeze the juice of the lemon, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the garlic powder, dried oregano, 2 tablespoons of sea salt, and 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.
- Mix well to ensure the chicken skin is well absorbed. (If possible, marinate the chicken beforehand and store in the fridge for a few hours.) When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 210C/190C fan/gas mark 6½.
- Take an oven-safe frying pan or ovenproof pot large enough to hold the chicken and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chicken thighs, skin side down, and place over medium heat. Keep the pan cool and allow the fat to melt and the skin to turn golden brown. The thighs are not cooked through at this stage. Once the skin is golden and starting to crisp, remove the chicken and place skin side up on a plate.
- Add butter to a frying pan, crumble the vermicelli and fry for 3-4 minutes until deep golden. Add the rice and stir well for 2-3 minutes so the butter is evenly distributed, then pour in the chicken stock. Season generously and bring to a boil for a few minutes before adding the chicken. The meat should be submerged in the stock but the skin should be sticking out and fried until crispy.
- Place the pan in the oven and cook for approximately 35-40 minutes, until the rice is tender, the chicken is golden brown, the skin is crisp and the inside is cooked through. (Check after about 15-20 minutes and add 200ml water if it seems dry.) Meanwhile, make the dip: Halve, seed and finely chop the chilli. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
- Heat a small frying pan over medium heat with enough oil to just cover the bottom and sauté the chilli and garlic until lightly golden, about 1 minute, then remove from heat.
- Crumble the feta in a bowl and mash with the Greek yogurt. It’s easiest to do this with a fork – it will be a bit grainy but keep going. Stir in the mayonnaise and finely grate the kefalotiri and add it. Finely grate the rind of the remaining lemon and add it.
- Mix the fried chillies and garlic into the feta dip and squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Mix everything well. Taste and adjust seasoning with more lemon, salt and pepper if needed. Serve the chicken and rice with the dip, sprinkled with a little parsley if desired.
Greek Style: Everyday Recipes with Greek Roots, by Georgina Hayden (Bloomsbury, £26) is out now
