We named this dish after Pablo, our cousin’s husband, because he’s a fried chicken fiend who challenged us to make him a healthy version that would keep him happy. Here it is – no breadcrumbs, no vegetable oil, no need to deep fry! Succulent chicken baked in a homemade spice mix with a crisp nutty crust, perfect hot or cold. Serve with some Probiotic Ketchup, Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce or just a squeeze of lemon and either Summer Lime Coleslaw, Quicker-than-toast Courgette Salad or Fennel, Cucumber and Dill Salad (all recipes available in our cookbook, The Art of Eating Well

For the Chicken
180 g ground almonds or use Sun Flour
2 eggs
6 pieces of chicken (use a mix of drumsticks and thighs), skin on
1 tbsp ghee
Sea salt and black pepper

For the Spice Mix
3 tsp hot smoked paprika or 21⁄2 tsp smoked
Sweet paprika with 1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1⁄2 tsp ground cumin
1 1⁄2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
3⁄4 tsp onion powder (optional)
3⁄4 tsp garlic powder (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to fan 180°C/Gas mark 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.

2 Mix the ground almonds and ingredients for the spice mix in a bowl. In a second bowl, beat the eggs.

3 Dip the chicken pieces, one at a time, in the egg, then coat in the mix of ground almonds and spices and lay on the baking tray.

4 Gently heat the ghee and use a spoon to drizzle it over the pieces.

5 Bake for 45 minutes until golden and sprinkle with some sea salt and pepper.

More in Features

THE END OF SUMMER reviews

By , 4th July 2024
Features
‘A standout literary thriller.’ THE FT ‘Ingenious, intriguing, colourful and very entertaining, this is the ideal summer holiday novel.’ LITERARY REVIEW

From book to screen

By , 28th February 2023
Features
Free resources and tips for would be screenwriters, from a complete novice - and some professionals - as I navigate the process of adapting my novels for TV and film

Observer New Review Q&A

By , 22nd March 2022
Features
An interview with Stephanie Merritt about Edith and Kim, the perils of writing about family, and why female spies often get overlooked

Researching Edith and Kim

By , 17th November 2021
Features
From a compendium of stories about life at the Bauhaus to a Modernist memoir by the founder of the iconic Isokon, here are some of the books that inspired my forthcoming novel