Ingredients

• 60g/2¼oz sea salt
• 1 small dried red chilli
• 2 garlic cloves
• crushed
• 4 large chicken thighs
• boneless
• skin on
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 bulb garlic
• 2 free-range egg yolks
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• few saffron strands
• 150ml/5fl oz rapeseed oil
• 150ml/5fl oz extra virgin olive oil
• ½ lemon
• juice only
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 avocados
• peeled
• halved
• stone removed and cut into 2cm/1in slices
• 1 free-range egg
• beaten
• 50g/1¾oz plain flour
• 50g/1¾oz panko breadcrumbs
• vegetable oil for deep-frying
• flaked sea salt
• 8 spears asparagus
• trimmed
• ends peeled
• 4 cooking chorizo sausages
• skin removed
• 100g/3½oz monk’s beard
• stalks removed.
• 1 head of dandelion salad
• trimmed and washed
• splash sherry vinegar

Directions

• For the chicken
• place the salt
• chilli and garlic in a large saucepan with 1 litre/1¾ pints of water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and cool then add the chicken thighs
• cover and place in the fridge for 2 hours.
• For the aioli
• preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4
• wrap the bulb of garlic in foil and roast for 30 minutes. When roasted
• squeeze the garlic out of its skins and add into a small food processor along with the egg yolks
• mustard and saffron and blend. Then slowly add the oils to make an emulsion and season with the lemon juice and salt and pepper.
• Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with kitchen paper. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the chicken skin-side down over a medium heat. Cover with a circle of greaseproof paper and place an empty saucepan on top as a weight for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook for a further 5 minutes without the paper or weight. Turn and cook for a further 5 minutes until the skin is golden-brown and crisp. (The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer.) Set aside.
• Meanwhile
• for the chargrilled asparagus and chorizo
• roast the chorizo sausages in the preheated oven for 10 minutes
• then set aside
• reserving the oil.
• Blanch the asparagus in salted boiling water for 1 minute
• then refresh in cold water and drain.
• Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and cook the asparagus and chorizo for 2–3 minutes
• turning to make sure they char on all sides.
• For the avocado
• place the beaten egg
• flour and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls and dip each slice first into the flour
• then the egg
• then the breadcrumbs. Fill a deep-fat fryer or a large
• deep
• heavy-bottomed pan two-thirds full with the oil. Heat to 180C (a cube of bread should turn brown in one minute when dropped in.) CAUTION: Hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended. Deep-fry the avocado for 1–2 minutes
• until crisp and golden-brown. Drain on kitchen paper and season with flaked sea salt.
• For the salad
• blanch the monk’s beard and dandelion in salted boiling water for 30 seconds then drain and place in a bowl. Add a splash of sherry vinegar and some of the reserved chorizo oil and mix to combine.
• To serve
• divide the monk’s beard and dandelion between four serving plates and top with the chicken
• avocado
• asparagus and chorizo
• with the aioli on the side.