Another Jamie Oliver recipe from his very fine book ‘Jamie’s dinners’ – this is too simple not to do and great if you have guests, plus it’s cheap! It does require fresh basil and red chilli but as it is the heart of winter and there is no fresh available, I substituted the basil with a tuscan herb mix and the fresh red chilli with peperoncino or chilli flakes which worked a treat.
Crispy chicken for 4
4 chicken legs with skin on
2 small packets of cherry tomatoes
1 head of garlic, broken into cloves but unpeeled
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tsp tuscan herb mix or dried basil or oregano
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven Gas4/180 degrees Celsius. In an oven proof pan, like Le Creuset, scatter some of the garlic cloves. Season the chicken and place skin side up in the pan. Tuck the cherry tomatoes in, around and under the legs and sprinkle the chilli and herbs over. Drizzle with olive oil and then put in the oven to slowly roast for 1 1/2 hours. The skin crisps up nicely on the top and the meat just falls off the bone….
I served my chicken with pasta that I had stirred some of the roasted tomatoes and oil from the pan into (v.tasty) and green veg such as broccoli or spinach.
Hmm, sounds good. I love Jamie Oliver!