ROAST CHICKEN MARYLANDS with FENNEL and POTATO
The beauty of this recipe is that once the chopping is done, it’s quite hands off. I‘ve used chicken marylands, which is the whole leg of the chicken, but you can use a mix of chicken pieces on the bone. The rough herb dressing drizzled over at the end adds a burst of fresh flavour, but if you fancy taking a shortcut, you can skip this and give it a good squeeze of lemon instead. This is a mid-week go-to for me when I’m cooking at home, not least because there’s minimal washing up!
Preparation Time 15 minutes | Cooking Time 1 hour 20 minutes | Serves 4
4 chicken marylands, halved through the joint
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon each finely chopped thyme and oregano leaves
80 ml (2½ fl oz/1/3 cup) olive oil
600 g (1 lb 5 oz) chat or other baby potatoes, thickly sliced
2 small fennel bulbs, cut into wedges, fronds reserved to serve
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 head of garlic, halved
½ lemon, thinly sliced, plus juice of remaining ½
150 g (5½ oz) green beans, trimmed
ROUGH HERB DRESSING
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped thyme leaves
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped oregano leaves
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Combine the chicken pieces in a bowl with the chopped garlic, herbs and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season and set aside.
Combine the potatoes, fennel wedges, onion, halved garlic and lemon slices in a bowl and season well. Drizzle with the remaining oil and toss to coat the vegetables evenly. Spread the mixture in two large roasting tins and roast, stirring occasionally, for 35–40 minutes until light golden brown and beginning to become tender. Arrange the chicken pieces on top, drizzle the chicken marinade over, squeeze over the lemon juice and roast for a further 35–40 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is browned and cooked through, adding the green beans to the pan for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
To make the rough herb dressing, mix all the ingredients in a bowl to combine and season to taste. Drizzle over the chicken and vegetables and serve hot.