One-Dish Roast Chicken Supper with Thyme and Rosemary
Another lip-smackingly delicious dish that family and friends love me to cook for them. A whole roasting tray of crispy chicken, bacon and potatoes, perfumed with rosemary and thyme leaves.
SERVES
10
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
15
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
60
MINUTES
Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
500g streaky bacon lardons
2kg free-range, organic chicken thighs (drumsticks and wings can also be included)
2-3 tbsp thyme leaves
1-2 tbsp chopped rosemary
1.1kg (about 10 large) potatoes
250g onions, sliced
60-110ml hot chicken stock
Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Green salad or tomato
fondue or piperonata
1 roasting tin - 37 x 31cm or 2 small tins - 30 x 20cm
Method
Preheat the oven to 230°C/Gas Mark 8.
Heat the olive oil in a roasting tin, add the bacon and toss over a high heat until it is beginning to colour. Remove to a plate with a perforated spoon.
Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
Put into a large bowl and scatter with most of the thyme leaves and chopped rosemary, reserving some for the potatoes. (I sometimes add a sprinkling of chilli flakes or smoked paprika – it gets a brilliant reaction).
Toss well.
Peel the potatoes and cut into 1cm thick chips. Dry and season well with salt, pepper and the reserved herbs. Add to the bowl with chicken.
Drizzle with the bacon fat and olive oil from the pan and toss once again.
Scatter the onions and bacon over the base of the roasting tin(s). Arrange the chicken and potatoes haphazardly on top, making sure that the potatoes are popping up. Drizzle with a little more olive oil.
Roast for 45 minutes–1 hour or until the chicken is cooked through (the juices should be running clear if pricked with a knife) and the chips are crispy at the edges. (Organic chicken pieces are larger, so cooking time can be up to 1¼ hours.)
Add the chicken stock at the end if the dish needs a little more juice.
Serve from the tin, family style, with a good green salad and vegetables of your choice, such as tomato fondue or piperonata if you wish.
