The perfect recipe for an easy everyday meal bursting with flavour …
This is probably what I make the most at home as it cooks in one pot and requires very few ingredients, all of which are easily interchangeable. The butter (lima) beans can be swapped for cannellini, chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or tinned lentils. The courgettes (zucchini) can be swapped for any number of things such as 250 g (9 oz) cherry tomatoes (add these with the onions at the start), any leafy green such as kale, spinach, cavolo nero (lacinato kale) or even 100 g (3 1/2 oz) frozen peas (add these right at the end).
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 1.5 – 1.8 kg (3 lb 5 oz–4 lb) chicken
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 2 onions, thickly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 60 g (2 oz) butter
• 1 lemon, halved
• 100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz/scant 1/2 cup) white wine or water
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 courgette (zucchini), sliced into 5 mm (1/4 inch) rounds
• 2 x 400 g (14 oz) tins or jars of butter (lima) beans or 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) Beans for the Week (page 15 of book see reference below)
• Sea salt freshly ground black pepper
• Parmesan, to serve (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to as high as it will go (about 240°C fan/500°F).
2. Season the chicken all over with the salt, then set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes. Once rested, dab the chicken with paper towels to remove any moisture that has come to the surface.
3. Put the onions and garlic into an ovenproof casserole dish (Dutch oven) or high-sided pan large enough to fit the chicken.
4. Season with salt and sprinkle over half the fennel seeds, then drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and give everything a good scrunch and mix so the onions are evenly coated. Dot around the butter, then lay the chicken on top.
5. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with half the lemon, then drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Rub the oil all over the chicken so that all the skin is covered.
6. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes. Then remove the chicken from the oven and turn down the heat to 190°C fan (400°F). Pour the white wine or water around the chicken, then sprinkle over the remaining fennel seeds along with the oregano.
7. Return to the oven for a further 25–30 minutes until the chicken is golden and cooked through and the onions are really soft, sitting in a layer of the chicken juices.
8. Remove the chicken from the pan and transfer to a plate to rest.
9. Being careful not to burn yourself, place the pan with the onions over a medium heat and add the courgette.
10. Cook for 5 minutes before tipping in the beans with half their juices. Let everything bubble away for a further 5 minutes, then add the juice and zest of the remaining lemon half, plus a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.
11. Carve the chicken and place on a platter with the resting juices, then serve with the beans and a chunk of Parmesan for grating over.
A recipe from Make More With Less: Foolproof Recipes To Make Your Food Go Further, by Kitty Coles, published by Hardie Grant.