Thighs stay so tender, and their skin crisps up wonderfully, releasing delicious flavour to their neighbours in the pan.

Chicken thighs with chickpeas, harissa and tomatoes

For 6
20 minutes preparation
25 minutes cooking

1 tbsp olive oil
6 – 8 chicken thighs
2 shallots, peeled, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped
1 small jar of ready-made tomato sauce (about 100ml) 
4 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced thinly
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained
2 tsp good Harissa paste
Flat-leaf parsley, salt, pepper, squeeze of lemon

Heat the oven to 200C.

Heat oil in a frying pan and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Reserve.

Then heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and sweat the shallots and garlic gently until lightly browned. Add the tomato sauce, harissa, sun-dried tomatoes and cook together two minutes, stirring.

Pour in the chickpeas, add water to cover and simmer for two to three minutes. Pour everything into a fairly deep gratin dish, place the chicken pieces on top and bake for 25 minutes until they are cooked and the sauce is well reduced around the meat.

Garnish with flat-leaf parsley, brighten up with a squeeze of lemon, and serve.

Photography by Louis Laurent Grandadam.