Donal Skehan: Home Cook airs Wednesdays at 8.30pm on RTÉ One.

Ingredients

Serves 6
Prep time: 25 minutes, plus marinating
Cook time: 50 minutes

  • 8 chicken thigh fillets, cut into three pieces
  • 1 small pumpkin or squash, sliced into wedges
  • 250g (9oz) new potatoes, halved
  • 1 large red onion
  • A bulb of garlic, top sliced off to reveal the cloves inside
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Sumac, for sprinkling
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 100g (31⁄2oz) rocket (arugula) leaves
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the marinade:

  • 5 cardamom pods, cracked open
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
  • 1⁄2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

For the sauce:

  • 250ml (1 cup) natural yoghurt
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • Squeeze of lemon juice

For the flatbreads:

  • 300g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 tbsp nigella seeds
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt & pepper
  • 50ml rapeseed oil, plus extra for brushing
  • 100ml water

Method

  1. Begin by making the marinade. Crack open the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar, remove the shells and grind the seeds.
  2. Mix together with the rest of the ingredients for the marinade, add the chicken pieces and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes but ideally 3 hours.
  3. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6. Arrange the squash, potatoes, red onion and garlic bulb on a very large baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil (or use two baking trays).
  4. Add the chicken, season well and pour over any of the marinade left in the bowl. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn and roast for a further 15–20 minutes until the chicken and veggies are tender and everything is a lovely golden brown.
  5. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
  6. To make the flatbreads, place the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the oil and water and using a wooden spoon, mix together to form a rough dough.
  7. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently for 2 minutes until you have a smooth dough. Divide the dough into 6 even sized pieces and roll out as thinas possible.
  8. Heat a large griddle pan over a medium high heat and brush one side of the flat bread with a little oil to coat. Fry on the pan while brushing the other side with oil.
  9. Fry the flatbreads, one at a time, until they have a good colour on both sides. If you want, you can finish them by turning quickly over a gas flame.
  10. Remove from the pan and set aside on a wire rack, covering with a clean tea towel to keep warm.
  11. Once roasted, transfer the chicken, squash, potatoes and red onion to a large serving platter.
  13. Squeeze the roasted garlic from the bulb, mashing it with any juices left on the tray and mix it into the tahini sauce.
  14. Sprinkle the chicken and veg with sumac, parsley and rocket before serving with the warm flatbreads and tahini sauce.