Chicken thighs with bulghur wheat salad in pita bread

Tamara West

If it's a balmy evening, take this one outdoors to the barbecue. The chicken thighs can be be cooked on the barbecue grill. Warm the pita bread over the grill also.

Chicken

6	Boneless chicken thighs, or 8 skinless (Main)
1 ½ tsp	Ground cumin, or 2tsp
2 cloves	Crushed garlic
1 Tbsp	Olive oil
4 to serve	Pita breads

Bulghur Wheat Salad

1 tsp	Cumin seeds
½ cup	Bulghur wheat, fine
1 tsp	Coriander
½ tsp	Fennel seeds, (optional)
1	Red onion, small, finely chopped or 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
¼ tsp	Salt
½	Lebanese cucumber, or 1, diced
2	Tomatoes, ripe, diced
½ cup	Parsley, chopped (or a mixture of parsley and coriander)
¼ cup	Mint
1	Lemon, zest & juice
1 Tbsp	Olive oil

Sauce

¼ cup	Plain unsweetened yoghurt
1 Tbsp	Tahini
1 to taste	Lemon juice, about 2 tsp
1 to taste	Salt & freshly ground pepper

Directions

The chicken

1. Place the chicken thighs in a shallow dish and rub with the cumin, garlic and oil.
2. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cover and set aside while you make the salad and sauce.
3. Tip: If you leave the chicken for more than 30 minutes, you will need to refrigerate — remember to bring back to room temperature before pan-frying.

The bulghur wheat salad

1. Place the bulghur wheat in a small bowl and cover it with 1cm of cold water and leave to soak for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, toast the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds in a frying pan over a medium heat until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
3. Cool seeds then grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Failing that, use the end of your rolling pin to crush the seeds.
4. Place the onion, ground spices and salt in a large bowl and set aside while the bulghur wheat is soaking.
5. Drain the bulghur wheat in a sieve to remove any excess water.
6. Add to the onion mixture with the cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, lemon and oil and toss well, adjusting the seasoning if necessary.

The sauce

Mix together all the ingredients and season.