Chicken Yassa

Instructions

1. In a bowl large enough to hold the chicken, combine 150 g of finely sliced onions, 3 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tsp of Dijon mustard, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 0.5 scotch bonnet (pierced once with a knife if you want gentle heat, finely chopped if you want it fiery), 1 bay leaf and 0.5 chicken stock cube, crumbled. Season with a good pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper and work everything together with your hands until the onions soften slightly.
2. Slash 1 chicken leg quarter to the bone two or three times on each side and bury it in the onion marinade, rubbing the mixture into the cuts. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, turning once.
3. Take the bowl out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking. Lift out the chicken and scrape every shred of onion back into the bowl, keeping the marinade liquid and onions separate from the meat. Pat the chicken dry.
4. Set a heavy frying pan or grill pan over high heat with no fat and sear the chicken skin side down for 4-5 minutes until deeply browned and blistered, then 4 minutes on the other side. Traditionally this is done over charcoal; either way, you want colour and a little char, not cooked-through meat. Set aside.