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.

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/Tomato fondue/Piperonata

You will need:
1 roasting tin
37 x 31cm or 2 small tins – 30 x 20cm

Method:
1 Preheat the oven to 230°C/Gas Mark 8.

2 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.

3 Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.

4 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).

5 Toss well.

6 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.

7 Drizzle with the bacon fat and olive oil from the pan and toss once again.

8 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.

9 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.)

10 Add the chicken stock at the end if the dish needs a little more juice.

11 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.

See more online:
https://www.irishexaminer.com/food-columnists/arid-41796485.html