Kotopoulo Me Sika (Chicken With Figs In Red Wine) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 5/8 kg chicken, skinned, excess fat removed and cut into pieces, giblets reserved (3 1/2 lb)
1 teaspoon coriander seed, freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
salt
175 g onions, thinly sliced (6 oz)
6 -10 cloves garlic, whole (to taste)
2 bay leaves
10 fresh figs
250 ml mavrothaphne (8 fl oz) or 250 ml ruby port (8 fl oz)
lemon, juice and zest of, finely grated
15 g flat leaf parsley, finely grated

Preparation

Arrange the chicken pieces and giblets in a heavy roasting dish.
Sprinkle with the spices and salt and massage into the flesh.
Distribute the onions, garlic, bay leaves and figs over and between the chicken pieces, pour in the wine and cover.
Cook in an oven preheated to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4 for about 50 minutes, until the chicken is barely tender.
Stir in the lemon zest and juice and return to the oven until almost falling from the bones - another 10-I5 minutes.
If there is an excess of liquid, leave off the cover for this part of the cooking.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve with saffron