Chicken with saffron, raisins & pine nuts

1. step 1
2. Heat a large frying pan on a high heat and season the chicken. Add the olive oil to the pan, then the chicken. Brown for about 5 mins on each side, remove onto a plate, then set aside.
   5 minutes
3. step 2
4. Lower the heat to medium. In the remaining fat, fry the onions for 3 mins, then add the garlic and saffron. Cook for 3-4 mins more. Add the sherry, then simmer for 3-5 mins until syrupy.
   3 minutes3–4 minutes3–5 minutes
5. step 3
6. Put the chicken leg pieces back into the pan, tip in the stock, thyme and raisins, cover, then gently cook on a low heat for 20 mins. Add the breast meat and any juices left on the plate. Simmer for 10 mins more until cooked through and the sauce in the pan has reduced.
   20 minutes10 minutes
7. step 4
8. While the chicken is cooking, heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Scatter the pine nuts over a baking sheet, then roast for 10 mins until golden and toasted. Once the chicken has cooked through, season to taste, scatter with pine nuts and parsley, then serve with rice.
   10 minutes

Cooking notes

When scaling protein-led dishes, weigh the meat rather than counting pieces, and remember that the pan size limits how much you can sear at once.

For volume-to-weight conversions of any ingredient — flour, sugar, butter, salts — use the ingredient converter. To translate the recipe's oven temperature between °C, °F and gas mark, see the temperature converter.

When you scale this recipe up or down, remember that cooking time does not scale linearly. A doubled cake takes longer, but not twice as long; a doubled soup takes roughly twice as long. The cooking-time guide gives sensible starting estimates by dish geometry.