Bourdain's chicken

Serves 4-6. Preparation time: 3 hours. Cooking time 20 mins. 

I used to be obsessed with Anthony Bourdain; I read all his books and watched Parts Unknown every weekend. His conversations were the same as his cooking methods and recipes; they were bold, simple, sophisticated and incredibly diverse. This is one of the recipes that I love and continue to cook today.

Ingredients

1.2 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 1/2 cups (170g) plain whole milk yogurt

1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil

1 tablespoon ground cumin

15 cardamom pods (crushed)

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon of cooking oil

salt to taste

Instructions

Outdoor grills, and the space to operate them safely, are easy to come by in Australia, but anyone who has no access to a BBQ can use a cast-iron pan to get the real char on the food. Chicken thighs are tender and forgiving, and usually do not require a marinade, however, the yogurt marinade here lets you add the flavour with spices and herbs that would otherwise get scorched in cooking, and the texture of cooked chicken that has been marinated in yogurt reminds me of street meat of South Asia.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, cumin, cardamom, oregano, and pepper. Place the chicken in a container with a lid (or a glass bowl covered with plastic wrap), and pour the yogurt mixture over, making sure each piece of chicken is evenly coated on all sides. Seal or cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C (or if using an actual outdoor grill, light it). Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Rub a grill pan with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, depending on its size. Begin to heat the pan over high heat; you'll know it's ready to go when you can see waves of heat shimmering off it. We’re trying to simulate the effect of an outdoor grill, so make sure your pan is really hot so the meat gets a bit smoky when tossed on, and turn on your exhaust fan.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting any excess drip off. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season it liberally with salt. Place on the hot grill pan and let cook, undisturbed, for 5-7 minutes, so that it is distinctly grill-marked. Using tongs, turn the chicken to cook on the other side for about 5 minutes (if you’re using a grill with a lid, now is the time to close it and let the chicken cook for another 10 minutes). Otherwise, transfer the chicken, still on the pan, to the hot oven to finish cooking for about 10 minutes.

The internal temperature should be 150°F/65°C at the thickest part. Remove from the oven, let rest for a few minutes, then serve, sliced or whole, with hot sauce if desired.