Roasted chicken with garlic and lemon

Name: Roasted chicken with garlic and lemon
Ingredients: 450g baby/chat potatoes, cut into quarters; 20 ml lemon juice; To marinade -; 8 chicken thighs, on the bone with skin on, or 4 chicken marylands; 2 red/Spanish onions, peeled and quartered; 12 large garlic cloves, sliced; 1 medium lemon, cut in half lengthways and then into very thin slices; 50 ml olive oil; 150 ml cold water; 1 tbsp pink peppercorns, slightly crushed; 10 g fresh thyme leaves; 1/2 bunch tarragon leaves, chopped, or 1 tbsp dried tarragon; 2 tsp sea salt plus 1 tsp black pepper; To serve -; Another 20ml lemon juice and another tbsp dried tarragon or other half of fresh tarragon; Cover the potatoes with cold water and add the lemon juice. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes, or until tender but not soft. Drain and leave to cool.

Plan Ahead
Feeds a Crowd

Roasting Modern Australian / International

Cook recipe

This recipe is based on one from the book Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.

What I love about this recipe is the cooking method, it really works – high temperature oven, chicken on the bone, with skin on, for flavour and texture. The marinade adds enough liquid to keep the chicken moist as it steams beneath and the high temperature crisps the skin beautifully.

You can tweak the flavours around this concept.

The original recipe uses Jerusalem artichokes rather than potatoes, but they can be fiddly to prepare and not always easy to find, they are fantastic though to swap back in with their nuttiness. Invest in pink peppercorns I adore them for their gentle fragrance and colour. The fresh herbs are must if you can – even exchange the thyme for oregano or marjoram, dried tarragon can also swap in if need be.

Serves 4.

Pictured: Roasted Chicken with Garlic and Lemon

Ingredients

450g baby/chat potatoes, cut into quarters
20 ml lemon juice
To marinade -
8 chicken thighs, on the bone with skin on, or 4 chicken marylands
2 red/Spanish onions, peeled and quartered
12 large garlic cloves, sliced
1 medium lemon, cut in half lengthways and then into very thin slices
50 ml olive oil
150 ml cold water
1 tbsp pink peppercorns, slightly crushed
10 g fresh thyme leaves
1/2 bunch tarragon leaves, chopped, or 1 tbsp dried tarragon
2 tsp sea salt plus 1 tsp black pepper
To serve -
Another 20ml lemon juice and another tbsp dried tarragon or other half of fresh tarragon
Cover the potatoes with cold water and add the lemon juice. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes, or until tender but not soft. Drain and leave to cool.

Method

Place the potatoes and all the remaining ingredients, in a large mixing bowl and mix everything together well. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight, or for at least 2 hours. This step adds the depth of flavour to the dish to the longer the better.

Preheat the oven to 240°C.

Arrange the chicken pieces, skin-side up, in the centre of a roasting tin and spread the remaining ingredients around the chicken. Roast for 30 minutes. Cover the tin with foil and cook for a further 15 minutes. At this point, the chicken should be completely cooked.

Remove from the oven and add the reserved tarragon and lemon juice. Stir well, taste and add more salt if needed.

Serve at once alongside either a rice dish or some green beans or salad

Pictured: Roasted Chicken with Garlic and Lemon pre Roasted