Warm a casserole dish or deep, wide frying pan on a medium-high heat. Add ½ tbsp olive oil and the chicken thighs, skin-side down, and the chicken drumsticks. Fry for 10 mins, turning once, till golden brown.

While the chicken fries, peel and finely chop the onion. Halve the peppers and scoop out the seeds and pith. Roughly chop the peppers. Halve the chilli and scrape out the seeds and white bits if you prefer less heat. Finely chop the chilli. Dice the tomatoes.

When the chicken has browned, lift it out of the pan and pop it on a plate. Add another ½ tbsp oil to the pan, along with the onion, chilli and green pepper. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, till the veg look glossy.

Fill and boil your kettle. Quarter the dates. Crumble the stock cube into a heatproof jug. Pour in 400ml boiling water and stir to dissolve.

When the veg have browned and softened, stir in the tomatoes and dates. Add 1 tsp each cumin seeds and ground coriander, the cinnamon stick and the star anise. Cook and stir for 1 min.

Add the chicken back to the pan. Tuck the thyme sprigs around the chicken and pour in the stock. Cover, bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer for 30 mins till the chicken is tender and cooked through.

When the chicken has 20 mins left, fill and boil the kettle. Tip the bulgar wheat into a heatproof bowl and pour over 300ml boiling water. Cover with a plate and set aside for 15 mins – the bulgar wheat will soak up the water and become tender.

Taste the casserole and add more salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Drain the bulgar wheat if needed, then spoon it into a couple of bowls. Top with the chicken, veg and stock, discarding the thyme sprigs. Garnish with roughly chopped parsley leaves to serve.