BBQ chicken with Middle Eastern spices and salsa recipe

Spice up your barbecue with this recipe for Middle Eastern spiced BBQ chicken, which is served with a fresh tomato salsa that complements and cools the heat of the spices. Marinating chicken before cooking allows the flavours to develop and makes the meat more tender, so the little bit of work in advance is well worth it for the tasty end results. This spiced chicken is flavoured with Baharat, a Middle Eastern spice blend. Baharat is readily available in supermarkets, but if you can't find it try mixing 2 tsp each of paprika, coriander and cumin with 1/2 tsp each of nutmeg and black pepper. For big gatherings we like to make all our BBQ marinades ahead of time, and this one is no exception. If you want to get prepped early too then simply mix all the marinade ingredients together and freeze until needed. This BBQ chicken marinade will defrost quickly, just remember to get it out on the morning of your barbecue and leave it at room temperature until liquid enough to coat your chicken pieces in.

Ingredients

• 4 free-range chicken breasts, skin on
• 2tbsp Baharat spice mix
• Juice of 2 lemons, plus lemon wedges
• 3tbsp oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed

For the salsa

• 225g cherry tomatoes, diced
• Handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• 2tbsp red wine vinegar
• ½ a red onion, finely diced

Method

1. Toss the chicken breasts in a freezer bag or non-metallic bowl with the Baharat spice mix, lemon juice, oil and garlic. Leave to marinate for 2 hours, or overnight.
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade, season and cook on a hot barbecue for 20-25 mins, turning once, until charred and piping hot all the way through. (Or cook in the oven at 200°C for 20 mins.)
3. Mix the salsa ingredients together and season well. Serve with the chicken and lemon wedges, if you like.