Polenta and sumac-crusted chicken with minted yoghurt

I love sumac for its tangy, lemony flavour and the powerful kick it gives when paired with chicken. For contrast, I also add sweetness from grape molasses and pair it with minted yoghurt and fresh herbs. Served hot or cold, it’s a great dish for entertaining.

Credit: Hugh Adams

• serves

  2

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 chicken thighs
• 1 egg
• ½ cup polenta
• 1 tbsp sumac
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• salt flakes and freshly ground pepper, to season
• 60 ml (¼ cup) grape molasses

Minted yoghurt

• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 6 coriander leaves, chopped
• 4 mint sprigs, leaves chopped
• couple of big spoonfuls Greek-style yoghurt
• salt flakes and freshly ground pepper, to season

Instructions

To make the minted yoghurt, place all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Cover and pop in the fridge until needed.

Preheat the grill to medium-high. Line a baking tray with foil. Cut the chicken thighs into 2 cm-thick strips. Crack the egg into a bowl and beat with a fork. In a separate shallow bowl, combine the polenta, sumac and cumin, and season with salt and pepper. With one hand, dip a piece of chicken into the egg to coat and drop into the polenta mixture. With the other hand, coat the chicken in the polenta mixture and place on the tray. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Cook the crumbed chicken under the grill for 2–3 minutes each side. Brush over the grape molasses and cook for 3–4 minutes, then turn over and repeat on other side until browned and cooked through.

Serve with the chilled minted yoghurt.

Recipe from Cle-ann by Cle-ann Stampolidis, with photography by Hugh Adams.

View our interview with Cle-ann and find more recipes from her blog here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.