Mint and lemon chicken

Our go-to chicken lemon dish, this is also particularly good with apricots (when in season), but just as delicious made without them.

INGREDIENT

• 1kg chicken thighs (or, if you prefer, a whole chicken cut in pieces)
• 2–3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 red onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges each
• 1 head of garlic, broken into cloves but not peeled
• 1 lemon, cut in wedges
• 8–10 fresh apricots, halved (optional)
• 2 tsp salt

For the marinade * 2 tbsp dried mint * 1 tsp sumac * 1 tsp chilli flakes * 1 tsp black pepper * 2 tbsp olive oil

For the lemon and mint salsa

• 2 preserved lemons, chopped
• 1 small bunch of mint, picked and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sumac

DIRECTIONS

• Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat them thoroughly in the mixture. Cover the bowl and transfer to the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour, but it’s better to leave it for several hours if you have time.

• Preheat the oven to 210C/425F/gas mark 7. Put the prepared vegetables and fruit in a large roasting tray and place the chicken pieces on top. Sprinkle the sea salt all over. Roast in the top of the oven for 20 minutes, then mix everything around a little, making sure the fruit and vegetables get coated in the fat at the bottom of the tray. Return to the oven for a further 10–15 minutes until everything is golden and crisp.

• While the chicken is cooking, mix the salsa ingredients together in a small bowl. Spoon over the hot chicken pieces before serving.

Happy Cooking

bon appetit