Chargrilled Chicken with Chimichurri and Butter Bean Salad

Ingredients

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 30g fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves and fine stems
• 10g fresh oregano leaves
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 80ml extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
• 2 x 400g tins butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 60g rocket
• 200g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• 1 lemon, juice only
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
• fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly torn, to serve
• dried chilli flakes, to finish
• extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle, to serve
• crusty sourdough bread, to serve
• charred flatbreads, to serve

Method

1. Slash each chicken thigh twice through the skin to the bone, then pat the skin properly dry — water means steam, and steam means no char. Rub with the smoked paprika, cumin and olive oil, working the spice mix down into the cuts, and season generously with salt and pepper. The spices will bloom in the hot oil as the skin renders, going from dusty to fragrant in the first minute on the griddle.
2. Heat a griddle pan or heavy frying pan over a high heat until you see the first wisp of smoke. Lay the thighs skin-side down and leave them — don't crowd the pan, work in two batches if you need to, or you'll drop the heat and steam the skin instead of charring it. Cook for 12–14 minutes until the skin is deeply blackened in patches and releases cleanly when you lift a corner. If it's sticking, it's not ready.
3. Flip and cook for a further 10–12 minutes until the juices run clear at the thickest part and the meat reads 74°C at the bone. Lift onto a board and rest for 5 minutes — the juices need that time to settle back into the meat.
4. While the chicken cooks, make the chimichurri. Finely chop the parsley and oregano leaves together, then tip into a bowl with the grated garlic, red chilli, chilli flakes, red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Season well with salt, stir, and let it sit for 10 minutes — the raw garlic mellows into the vinegar, so it bites rather than burns. Taste: it should be sharp, herby, and properly seasoned.
5. Tip the sliced red onion into a large bowl with the butter beans, halved cherry tomatoes, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Season generously and toss — the lemon juice softens the onion's edge while the beans soak up the dressing.
6. Add the rocket and fold through gently, just until the leaves start to wilt against the beans. Taste, season, taste again — adjust now, not at the table.
7. Spoon the butter bean salad across a large serving platter and arrange the rested chicken thighs on top, skin-side up so the char shows.
8. Spoon half the chimichurri generously over the chicken, scatter with torn parsley, a pinch of chilli flakes and a drizzle of olive oil, and tuck the lemon wedges around the platter for squeezing at the table. Serve the remaining chimichurri in a bowl alongside warm sourdough and charred flatbreads.