Baity's Chicken Musakhan With Cucumber & Parsley Salad

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C (fan)/ Gas 6

Peel and halve the red onions, then slice 1 [2] onion half[ves] and finely chop the remaining onion

Heat a pot over a low heat with a generous drizzle of olive oil

Once hot, add the finely chopped onion (save the sliced onion for later!) with a pinch of salt and half the ground sumac and cook for 20-25 min, stirring frequently, or until soft and caramelised – these are your caramelised onions

Meanwhile, crush the cardamom pods open by squashing them with the side of a knife

Discard the outer green pods and add the cardamom seeds to a small bowl

Add the ground cumin, ground coriander and ground allspice to the bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper and give everything a good mix up – this is your Musakhan spice blend

Lay the sliced red onion on the centre of a baking tray, then place the chicken thighs on top to fully cover the onions

Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle the Musakhan spice blend all over and give everything a good mix up (make sure the chicken is skin-side up!)

Season the chicken skin with a pinch of salt and put the tray in the oven for 25-30 min or until the skin is crispy and the chicken is cooked through (no pink meat!)

Peel lengths off the cucumber until you end up with a pile of cucumber ribbons (save the core for later!)

Separate the parsley leaves from the stalks, discard the stalks

Add the cucumber ribbons and most of the parsley leaves (you'll use the rest later!) to a bowl with the cider vinegar, a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil

Give everything a good mix up and set aside to pickle slightly – this is your cucumber & parsley salad

Chop the remaining cucumber core finely

Add the chopped cucumber core and natural yoghurt to a bowl with a pinch of salt and give everything a good mix up – this is your cucumber yoghurt

Once the chopped onions have caramelised, add the plain naans to a baking tray

Spread the caramelised onions over the naans and sprinkle over the remaining ground sumac

Put the tray in the oven for 4-5 min or until warmed through – these are your caramelised onion & sumac naans

Meanwhile, heat a large, dry, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) over a medium heat

Once hot, add the flaked almonds and cook for 2-3 min or until toasted

Tip: Watch these like a hawk to make sure they don't burn!

Strip the mint leaves from the stalks, discard the stalks

Chop the mint leaves and remaining parsley leaves finely