Sticky chicken with sherry, almonds & dates

• olive oil↗ tbsp
• chicken legs↗8
• medium onions↗2

  chopped

• garlic cloves↗15

  left whole in skin

• ground cumin↗1 tsp tsp
• sherry↗250ml ml

  such as Oloroso or Manzanilla

• lemon

  zest and juice 1, plus extra zest to serve

• whole blanched almond↗50g g

  (we used Marcona), roughly chopped

• large soft dates↗12

  chopped

• flat‑leaf parsley↗20g g

  roughly chopped

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan. Season the chicken, then brown on all sides. Remove the chicken, place it in a large baking dish, then set aside. Add the remaining oil, the onions and garlic to the pan, then season. Fry for 10 mins until golden. Stir in the cumin, sherry and lemon zest and juice. Bring to the boil, then add the almonds, dates and half the parsley.

2. 2

   Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover with foil, then roast for 1 hr until tender, taking the foil off after 15 mins. Spoon the liquid over the chicken a couple of times during roasting. Serve piled up on a large platter with the sauce poured over, the garlic cloves, remaining parsley and some extra lemon zest.