Cooking with Paula McIntyre - Tea smoked brined chicken thighs with Peri Peri and cucumber salad

Download Tea smoked brined chicken thighs with Peri Peri and cucumber salad

Teasmoked brined chicken

8 boneless chicken thighs
500ml water
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Few sprigs rosemary or thyme
20g seasalt
50g brown sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Simmer the water with the mustard, garlic, herb, salt, sugar and vinegar until the sugar has dissolved. Cool completely and add the chicken. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Remove from brine and pat dry

50g longgrain rice
25g Demerara sugar
1 dessertspoon tealeaves

Line a roasting tray with foil and scatter over the rice, sugar and tea. Mix well. Place a rack on top and add the chicken. Cover tightly with foil and cook on a high heat for 5 minutes then turn heat off and allow to rest for a few minutes.

Peri Peri sauce

Roast garlic
1 bulb garlic broken into cloves
Oil to cover

Place in a ramekin, cover with oil, cover with foil and bake in a 180oc oven until soft. Cool and peel the garlic and place back in oil
4 red chillis
50ml extra virgin olive oil
50ml red wine vinegar
4 cloves roast garlic
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ bay leaf, shredded
Salt to taste

Brush the chilis with oil and place in 180oc oven for 10 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes then peel and remove seeds ( keep them in if you want it hot). Blend with the garlic, oil, vinegar, paprika and bay.

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Place the chicken, skin side up, on a baking tray. Mix the maple with 2 tablespoons of the peri peri and brush all over the chicken. Cook for about 12 minutes or until cooked through. Remaining peri peri will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Cucumber salad
1 little gem
Handful mixed leaves
½ cucumber
25ml balsamic vinegar
75ml oil
Salt and pepper

Peel and slice the cucumber. Break the gem into leaves.
Drizzle the vinegar and oil all around a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the leaves and cucumber, toss around and serve.

Published on Wednesday, 22nd April 2026.

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