Griddled chicken with baked artichoke hearts, fennel & tomatoes
Even though there’s meat here, this is a very ‘vegetable forward’ main from Diana Henry. Any leftover veg are lovely the next day.
Gluten free
Serves4
CourseMain meal
Prepare20 mins
Cook55 mins
Total time1 hr 15 mins
Plusmarinating
Ingredients
For the chicken
8 chicken thighs, bones removed, skin on
4 tbsp olive oil
2 clove/s cloves garlic, grated to a fine purée
1 lemon, juice, plus extra wedges to serve
10 sprig/s lemon thyme, leaves only, chopped
For the artichokes
2 x 390g cans Essential Artichoke Hearts In Water
250ml olive oil (or enough to cover the hearts)
2 clove/s garlic, finely sliced
4 sprig/s lemon thyme, leaves only
½ tsp chilli flakes
For the vegetables
8 plum tomatoes, halved
½ tbsp white balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp caster sugar
2 large fennel bulbs
1½ lemons, juice
2 onions
8 sprig/s lemon thyme
Method
The day before you cook, marinate the
chicken and prepare the artichokes. Make small
slits in the chicken thighs and put in a dish with
the remaining ingredients. Turn the meat over
to coat and push the marinade into the slits.
Cover and chill overnight.
Tip the artichokes into a sieve and leave to
drain thoroughly. Transfer to a bowl or jar and
add enough olive oil to cover, plus the
remaining ingredients and some crushed black
pepper. Cover and chill overnight.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6.
Drain the artichokes and put them and the
plum tomatoes into a roasting tin big enough
to hold them both in a single layer. Add the
white balsamic vinegar, 1½ tbsp olive oil and
season. Toss with your hands, then sprinkle
a little sugar on top of each tomato.
Trim the tips of the fennel bulbs – reserving
any little fronds – and remove any tough and
discoloured outer leaves. Trim the base neatly. Cut the fennel into quarters, lengthways, then
into slices, about 2cm thick at the thickest
part. Gently toss in with the lemon juice in
a bowl, trying to keep the slices intact.
Cut the onions into wedges about 1.5cm
thick at the thickest part. Put the fennel and
onion into a separate roasting tin that will hold
everything in a single layer. Season and add the
lemon thyme and the remaining 1½ tbsp oil.
Tightly cover the tin with foil.
Put both roasting tins in the oven and cook
for 35 minutes, turning the artichokes after
20 minutes and the fennel and onion
after 25 minutes. (Remove the foil from
the fennel tin for the final 10 minutes.)
Transfer the vegetables to a big serving
platter and add any reserved fennel fronds. If
the juices in the roasting tins are reduced and
dark, drizzle these over the platter, but don’t
add lots of juices that will swamp the dish with
liquid. This dish is fine at room temperature, though if you prefer to serve it hot, cook the
chicken while the vegetables are roasting.
Heat a griddle pan until hot. Cook the
chicken, skin-side down, in batches if necessary.
Discard the remaining marinade, if any. Season
and cook for 2 minutes, then turn over and
cook for another 2 minutes on the other side.
Turn the heat down and cook for a further
5-6 minutes, turning occasionally, until the
chicken is thoroughly cooked the juices run
clear and there is no pink meat. Cover with foil
and keep warm while you cook the rest. Serve
the chicken with the vegetables and lemon
wedges for squeezing over.