Julie Le Clerc: Moorish chicken baked in almond sauce

Julie Le Clerc says the recipe for Moorish chicken is one of her favourites. Picture / Carolyn Robertson

We had to ask: which of the hundreds of recipes Julie Le Clerc has concocted for Viva is her absolute favourite? After much deliberation she settled on the Moorish chicken baked in almond sauce. "It's good because it's appropriate for this time of year, and the flavours are bold and tasty - I have a thing for yummy Moorish flavours." 

Serves 4

4 chicken legs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 small red onions, peeled
1 red pepper, seeds removed
3 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/4 tsp saffron threads infused in 1/4 cup boiling water
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 Tbs fresh thyme leaves
1 cup blanched almonds, lightly toasted and roughly ground

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Joint the chicken legs by separating drumsticks from thighs. Season with salt and pepper and place in an oven pan.

2. Cut onions into wedges and slice pepper in thin strips. Heat a large frying pan, add oil, onions and pepper strips and cook for five minutes, tossing frequently over a medium heat. Add sherry and simmer to reduce by half. Add saffron and liquid and tomatoes. Stir in almonds to thicken sauce and bring to the boil.

3. Pour sauce over chicken and bake for 1 hour, or until chicken tests cooked (the juices will run clear when a knife is inserted to the bone into the thickest part of the meat). Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper before serving scattered with fresh thyme.