These sticky, crispy chicken thighs are sensational with a nutty black rice salad. It is a lovely recipe for this time of year – sustaining, yet not too heavy; aromatic and jammed with flavour, yet simple to cook. You can make it fiery hot, faintly warm or with no chilli at all, so it’s a great recipe for developing younger palates. The spices and seasonings are all readily available in good grocers and supermarkets.

Crispy chicken thighs with black rice salad

If you can’t find black rice, you can substitute Camargue red rice or even pearled spelt to great effect. The marinade works brilliantly with sweet squashes, too.

Prep 20 min

Marinate Overnight

Cook 30 min

Serves 4-6

6 boneless chicken thighs, skin on

For the marinade

½ tbsp black peppercorns

2 lemongrass stalks

4 garlic cloves, peeled

Juice of ½ lime

3 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

½ tbsp honey

For the salad

200g black rice

1 litre chicken stock or water

40g coconut flakes

75g cashews

3 spring onions, finely sliced at an angle

Leaves from 1 large bunch of coriander

8 dried apricots, roughly chopped

For the dressing

Juice of 2 limes

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

4 tbsp toasted sesame or vegetable oil

2 tsp honey

Salt

1 red chilli, finely sliced (optional)

To make the marinade, put the peppercorns in a mortar and crush with a pestle until roughly ground. Peel the outer layer from the lemongrass, top and tail, then roughly chop the juicy middle. Pound to a paste with the peppercorns and garlic, then transfer to a plastic bag and add the rest of the marinade ingredients and the chicken. Rub the marinade into the meat and leave for at least two hours, or overnight.

When you’re ready to cook, heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/gas 7. Rinse the rice under cold water several times (to stop it sticking), then cook in chicken stock or water according to the pack instructions. Once tender, empty into a bowl to cool.

While the rice is cooking, roast the chicken in a baking tray with a rack for 20-25 minutes, brushing with the marinade halfway through, until the skin is dark golden and crisp, and the juices run clear when pricked with a knife. Leave to rest for five minutes.

Toast the coconut flakes in the oven for three to four minutes until golden, taking care not to burn them. Repeat with the cashew nuts, then roughly chop.

Add the cashews, spring onions, coriander leaves and apricots to the rice and mix well. Shake the dressing ingredients together in a jar and season with salt, to taste.

Cut the chicken into thick slices and add to the rice, with any juices, then pour over the dressing and gently toss. Taste, adjust the seasoning with more lime or salt, if needed, then sprinkle with the toasted coconut and serve.

And for the rest of the week

For a meat-free version, whisk 60ml peanut or vegetable oil into the marinade and use it to brush slices of aubergine before grilling; swap the fish sauce for more soy if you are avoiding fish. The marinade is also delicious brushed over fish, particularly when cooked over charcoal.