This is a sort of dish with multiple refractions. I got it from the Ottolenghi team, and have begun adapting it to my own whims, and they took inspiration from Mexican cooking, even if it’s not one specific dish.

Ingredients

For the marinade

  • 200 g roast red peppers
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1.5 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 20 g (about 5) chipotle chilies, seeds and stalks removed, soaked in boiling water to re-hydrate
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 40 g white wine vinegar
  • 20 g brown sugar
  • 30 g olive oil
  • 30 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 20 g cilantro (leaves and stalks), roughly chopped
  • Salt

For the chicken

  • 1.5 kg (about 8) chicken thighs
  • 3 onions (ca. 500 g), halved and then cut into thirds
  • Cilantro, roughly chopped

For the salsa

  • 40 g lime juice
  • 30 g olive oil
  • 20 g cilantro (leaves and stalks), finely chopped
  • 400 g can black-eyed peas, drained (240 g drained weight)
  • Salt

Method

Make the marinade

Combine the marinade ingredients in a tall container or blender jar, and use either an immersion blender or a blender to blend the ingredients into a smooth, uniform paste. Salt the mixture to taste.

Marinate the chicken

Toss the chicken with the prepared marinade in a medium oven-safe dish or tray. Cover the container, and refrigerate the chicken to marinate for at least an hour, ideally overnight.

Roast the chicken

Preheat an oven to 200 °C (400 °F) with fan (convection) if available.

Embed the onion sections into the chicken and marinade, covering them with the marinade. Then transfer the tray to the oven. Roast the chicken and onions until the chicken is tender and the onions are soft, about 60 minutes. Baste the chicken and onions about halfway through cooking.

When the chicken is tender, remove the tray from the oven, and cover it with foil to keep everything warm.

For the salsa

Whisk together the lime juice and olive oil in a large bowl. Then stir in the cilantro. Add the beans, and toss them to coat. Season to taste with salt.

Combine and serve

Dress the chicken and onions with the cilantro. Then sprinkle over some of the salsa.