Grilled Chicken with Mango Bulgur

 

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Serves 2

Ready in 45 minutes

 

This is a Guest Recipe

Nigel Slater

Published in The Guardian on Tue 11 Jun 2024 12.00 BST

 

 

 

   

Put the kettle on. (Always a good start.) Place 100g of bulgur wheat in a heatproof bowl, then, when the kettle has boiled, pour over enough water to cover the bulgur by 1cm. Cover the bowl with a plate or lid and set aside.

Heat a griddle pan (or preheat an overhead grill if you prefer). Remove the bones from 4 chicken thighs. Lay the thighs out flat, rub them all over with a little olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Place the chicken skin side down on the griddle. Cut 1 lemon in half and place it on the griddle (or under the grill if you are using the overhead method).

 

Peel 1 large or 2 small perfectly ripe mangoes. Slice the cheek from the mangoes, following the flat side of the stone with your knife, then slice away the rest of the flesh as thickly as you can. Cut it into small dice and put it in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Finely chop 4 spring onions and add them to the mango. Remove the leaves from 10g of mint, finely chop them, then do the same with 10g of flat-leaf parsley. Stir the chopped herbs into the mango with the juice of half a lemon.

Check the bulgur wheat has absorbed all of the water. The grains should be moist rather than wet. Run a fork through them to break them up, then mix in 2 tsp of harissa sauce and introduce the mango and herbs. Taste the bulgur and increase the harissa if you wish.

Divide the bulgur between a couple of plates, put the chicken on top, then sprinkle over any grilling juices left behind. They are too good to waste. Serves 2. Ready in 45 minutes

 

To remove the chicken bones, lay the thighs skin side down on a chopping board. Using the point of a very sharp knife, follow the bones with the blade, cutting close to the bone, but avoid cutting right through to the board, carefully free them from the flesh.