Chilli jam chicken with nam pla veggie fried rice

A jam-jar marinade, tender roast chicken with a sweet and savoury coating – what's not to love? Similarly, this method would work with marmalade, tomato or plum jam. Brushing with additional chilli jam at the end of the cooking time is optional but will give the best sticky results. The fried rice in this recipe is one my mother has been making since her travels in Thailand in the early 1990s. It's simple to make but incredibly fragrant and benefits from using leftover cooked rice.

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7. In a large bowl or in the jar of chilli jam if it’s down to it’s last dregs, whisk together the rapeseed oil, soy sauce, rice wine and 1-2 tablespoons of chilli along with the ginger and garlic.

Add the chicken thighs to the dish. Toss to coat. At this point, you can cover the dish with cling wrap and place in the fridge to marinate for a few hours, or you can cook them straight away.

Place the marinated chicken thighs in a large roasting tray, leaving about 2.5cm between the thighs to allow them space to crisp up. Cook for 35 minutes until crispy, then take out of the oven and use a pastry brush to brush each thigh with chilli jam until they are all coated.

Sprinkle over cashew nuts and place back in the oven to cook for a further 10 minutes or until cooked all the way through.

Place a frying pan over a medium high heat and add a drop of oil. Fry the shallots, lemongrass and chilli for 2 minutes or until aromatic. Add in the cooled basmati rice and season with fish sauce and lime juice. Fry for 2-3 minutes until warmed through.

Serve the rice in flat bowls with the chilli chicken thighs and cashew nuts. Garnish with sliced spring onions.