Recipe for Oriental Chicken with Blood Orange and Yogurt Sauce

Start the day before by making this fresh cheese. Normally, you should use half sheep (or goat) yogurt and half cow's yogurt. Line a deep sieve with kitchen cheesecloth and place it over a bowl. Mix the salt into the yogurt, then transfer it into the sieve and let it sit overnight. A good portion of the liquid will drain into the bowl, and the yogurt will firm up.

Mix the olive oil, honey, whole grain mustard, thyme leaves, and the spice blend in a resealable plastic bag. Add half a teaspoon of salt and the chicken pieces into the bag. Seal it tightly, massage it, and let it marinate in the fridge overnight if possible (or at least for two hours). Massage the bag occasionally to ensure the meat is evenly coated with the marinade.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (thermostat 7). Place the chicken and its marinade in a roasting dish, skin-side up. Cut the orange and lemon in half and, without squeezing them, place them cut-side up in the middle of the chicken pieces.

Bake for 40 minutes until the chicken is golden brown and its skin starts to crisp.

Transfer the chicken to a dish. Then, squeeze the orange and lemon over the baking dish to deglaze the juices, scraping the pulp with a fork. Mix the juice, return the roasted chicken, and coat it in the mixture.

To finish, serve on a platter or in the baking dish, with the labneh. Accompany with red endives and blood oranges, one of the best winter salads, which grills quickly to soften its bitterness.