Fiery pineapple chicken

Method

1. First make the marinade. Put the onion, garlic and ginger in the small cup/bowl of a bullet blender or food processor, then add the herbs, citrus juice/ vinegar, chilli, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, the white pepper (if using), soy sauce, cooking oil, sugar/sweetener and a good grinding of black pepper. Add the pineapple juice from the can and whizz to a smooth paste. (You can usually get around 175ml juice out of a standard can – how much juice you need will depend on how large your onion is, so add some juice, pulse and repeat a few times, having a look at how it’s going so you can make a judgement for yourself. You want a coating consistency – not too watery and not too thick.)
2. When the marinade is made, pop your chicken thighs into a non-reactive container (glass, ceramic or stainless steel) with a lid or a sealable freezer bag and pour the marinade over. Seal tightly and shake to coat, then put in the fridge to marinate for up to 24 hours. No longer, as the acid in the lemon juice can overcook the chicken if it hangs around too long! Give it a shake every now and then to re-coat it so all that great flavour gets into every nook and cranny. Put the pineapple in a sealed container or bowl in the fridge to use later
3. When the chicken is marinated, turn your oven to 170ºC fan/gas 5 and transfer the chicken to a tightly fitting oven dish, skin-side down. The more snug the fit, the more of the marinade is contained around the chicken as it cooks, keeping your chicken super juicy and full of flavour without the need to baste. Pour all the marinade evenly over the chicken and pop a pineapple slice onto each thigh. Add an extra grind of black pepper, then pop the tray in the centre of the oven for 50-60 minutes to cook (if your tin is on the spacious side you might need to baste the chicken occasionally).
4. Serve hot, warm or fridge cold.