Chicken Fattee
I first discovered this recipe in an extract from an article in The Guardian, which lead me on to buy the excellent Casa Moro cook book.
Sam and Sam Clark's love of Spanish, Moroccan and Lebanese flavours is contagious, and although some of the recipes seem daunting, their Chicken Fattee is an excellent introduction. Creating the many layers of the dish brings me as much pleasure as seeing the look on my friend's eyes when I serve a big platter of perfectly cooked rice, whole roast chicken and rich tomato sauce.
I also use the recipe when friends want to learn to cook. Each of the layers teaches a different technique that can be used in a number of different recipes. How to cook perfect rice, how to roast a chicken, a simple tomato sauce, toasting pine nuts, knife skills with the aubergines and parsley, the list goes on.
So if you want an afternoon pottering in the kitchen on your own, or want grab a bottle of something and a friend and cook together, try the Chicken Fattee!
The pictures below give a few hints on each of the layers. The key to this dish is to have everything come together hot at the same time, and to have a serving dish big enough to cope. This easily serves 6 with some left overs.
The ingredient list is quite simple when you break it down. I would recommend spending money on the best quality chicken you can find.
Keep a close eye on the pitta triangles so they don't go too crispy or burn. Make ahead and keep in an airtight container so they don't go soft.
The tomato sauce, onion base for the rice, and aubergines can all be made ahead of time.
When you are ready and it is time to start to assemble, grab your biggest serving dish. Mine was a bargain from Habitat, back in the day.
Sprinkle the crispy pitta triangles as the base layer. These will stay crispy around the edge, and the middle ones will soak up all of the flavours.
The next layer is the fragrant rice. Washing the starch off and soaking the rice helps keep the grains separate and the rice light and fluffy. The caramelised onions and cinnamon mix with the chickpeas and give a good hearty base to the dish.
Rubbing the chicken skin with ground cloves adds an aromatic tang to skin. Shredding a whole chicken with your hands can be a primal experience, and also maximises the amount of meat you get. Save the bones for stock!
Tumble the soft, oily cubes of aubergine over the chicken.
The garlicky tomato sauce can be simmered for the half hour of the recipe, or keep it going slowly and keep it moist for as long as you want. The red sauce adds a sweet sharp edge.
Dollops of cooling creamy garlic yoghurt look amazing against the red.
Finish the dish with the freshness of chopped parsley, and the crunchy richness of toasted pine nuts.
Serve the dish with a fresh green salad, or some steamed greens. Try not to eat it all, as left overs the next day taste fantastic!
Chicken Fattee
For the chicken
1 medium organic or free-range chicken, about 1.5kg
3 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
Quarter tsp ground cloves
For the tomato sauce
5 tbsp olive oil
5 garlic cloves, sliced
4cm cinnamon stick
2x400g tins plum tomatoes, drained and the tomatoes squashed well
For the rice
300g basmati rice, unwashed
Sea salt
75g butter
4cm cinnamon stick
half a large onion, halved and thinly sliced
485ml chicken stock
400g tin cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
For the crispbread
25g butter
2 pitta breads
For the fried aubergine
2 medium aubergines, cut into 3cm cubes
8 tbsp olive oil
To finish
500g Greek yogurt, mixed with a clove of garlic crushed with salt
8 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
75g pine nuts, very lightly toasted or fried in olive oil until golden
Serves
4 - 6 people with a green veg side
Directions
Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7
Crisp bread: To make the crisp bread, melt the butter over a low heat
Pop the pittas in the oven for a couple of minutes whilst it comes to temperature
Split them in half lengthways and brush on both sides with melted butter
Cut each half in half again lengthways, then cut each piece into four or five triangles
Place on a rack and bake in the middle of the oven for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Once cool store in an air tight container. This can be done the day before
Chicken: Rub two tablespoons of olive oil all over the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle the ground cloves on top
Oil a baking tray with the remaining oil, then add the chicken. Roast for about an hour, then check every 15 minutes, you want cooked, but not dry
Test the chicken by piercing the flesh in the thigh and checking that the juices run clear, or a thermometer reads 74C or 165F
When cooked transfer the bird to a board to rest for 10 minutes, loosely covered with foil
Pour off most of the oil from the roasting pan and place over medium heat, add 150ml water and bring to a gentle simmer, scraping the flavoursome caramelised bits from the base
Tip any juices from the chicken into the pan, check for seasoning. You might find it easier to pour these juices into a small saucepan to free up some space on the hob
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, strip all the meat off the bone and tear into manageable pieces. Keep warm until you are ready to serve
Tomato sauce: Make the tomato sauce whilst the chicken is roasting
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the garlic until light brown. Don't let it get too brown or burn as it will go bitter
Add the cinnamon stick and tomatoes and simmer for at least half an hour
Taste and season well. Keep the sauce warm
Rice: Rub the rice in three changes of cold water to wash off the starch
Cover with warm water, stir in the salt and soak for 30-60 minutes
Melt the butter over a medium heat and add the cinnamon and onion and fry for 10-15 minutes until golden brown, stirring every now and then
Remove from the heat and set aside
The assembly: About 15 minutes before you are ready to eat:
Place the onion pan over a high heat, drain the rice and stir into the onions. Fry, stirring, for a minute, coating the rice in the onions and butter
Add the stock, the chickpeas and about half a teaspoon of salt, depending on your stock
Cover with either baking parchment or foil followed by a lid and boil fast for five minutes
Turn the heat to low-medium for a further five minutes
At this point the rice should be cooked, but it will sit happily for 15 minutes, give a stir to make sure it is not sticking
Aubergines: Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or wok over a medium to high heat and fry the aubergine until soft and brown. Cover and keep warm
Layer up! Make sure everything is hot, apart from the crisp bread triangles and yoghurt and grab a big serving platter (or two if you don't have one big enough)
Start with the crispbread, then the rice, then the chicken and its gravy (about four to five tablespoons), then the aubergine, then the tomato sauce, a little yogurt and finally lots of chopped parsley and the pine nuts
Serve right away with any left over yoghurt in a bowl
