“Don’t be afraid to really char your chicken thighs here (making sure to ventilate your kitchen well!) – this’ll add an intense flavour alongside the vibrant dressing and make for a very punchy eating experience,” say chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad.

“That said, you can also grill your chicken thighs in the oven, or swap them out for chicken breasts, if you prefer.”

Blackened chicken with caramel and clementine dressing

Ingredients(Serves 4)

6 large chicken thighs (1kg), boneless and skin on (850g)1½tsp ground turmeric1tsp chilli flakes1tbsp fish sauce2tbsp olive oil12 spring onions, trimmed, washed well and driedSalt

For the caramel and clementine dressing:85g caster sugar30g fresh ginger, peeled and julienned2 red chillies, deseeded, halved widthways and julienned3tbsp rice wine vinegar3–4 limes: 1 halved, to serve, and the rest juiced to get 3tbsp2tbsp fish sauce2–3 clementines, peeled5g fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to serve

Method

1. Put the chicken thighs, turmeric, chilli flakes, fish sauce, oil and one teaspoon of salt into a large bowl and mix well to combine. Leave to marinate for an hour, or cover and refrigerate for longer (up to overnight). If the latter, remove the chicken thighs from the fridge about 45 minutes before cooking.

2. Place a large cast-iron sauté pan on a medium-high heat and ventilate your kitchen well. Once hot, add half the chicken thighs, skin side down. Weigh down the thighs with a large saucepan around the same size, so they are well pressed into the pan. Cook for six to eight minutes, or until the skin is charred and blackened. Remove the top pan and set the chicken thighs aside, then repeat with the remaining thighs. The second batch might blacken faster, so check them at the five-minute mark. Remove all the chicken, setting it aside, and let the pan cool for five to 10 minutes.

3. If needed, drain off all but one-and-a-half tablespoons of the fat collected in the pan and return to a medium-high heat. Add the spring onions, using a pair of tongs to coat them in the fat, then put back the chicken thighs, skin side up, and any of their juices, nestling them into the spring onions, along with 90 millilitres of water. Cook for eight minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and leave to rest for five minutes before slicing each thigh into two-centimetre-wide strips.

4. While the chicken is cooking, make the caramel and clementine dressing. Heat a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat. Once hot, turn the heat down to medium and sprinkle in the sugar to coat the base – it should immediately start to melt and colour around the sides. Swirl the pan, without stirring, so that all the sugar melts and turns deeply golden, about one-and-a-half to two minutes. Add the ginger and chillies, and stir continuously for 45 seconds, just to take off the spicy edge. Quickly add the vinegar, lime juice and fish sauce, stirring to combine. Cook for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

5. Use a small serrated knife to slice the clementines into one-centimetre-thick rounds, then pull at them gently to halve them (don’t worry if they break apart further). Stir these into the cooled sauce.

6. To serve, transfer the spring onions to a large platter and top with the chicken and any pan juices, using a spatula to keep each thigh together. Pour the dressing all over, then sprinkle with the coriander. Lastly, squeeze over the lime halves.

Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things by Noor Murad and Yotam Ottolenghi is published by Ebury Press, priced £25. Photography by Elena Heatherwick. Available now.