Chicken with fennel, olives, capers, and thyme

Recipe and photograph – Dr Joan Ransley

This is an ideal special occasion dinner to cook for family and friends. It can be prepared in advance and left cooking slowly as guests arrive.

This recipe contains a good mix of gut friendly ingredients and can be adapted to suit individual guests who cannot eat one of the ingredients, for example onions.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan/gas mark 6. Place the sliced potatoes in a roasting tin, followed by the wedges of red onion and fennel.

Finely grate the zest of one lemon over the vegetables. Squeeze the juice of half of the lemon into the roasting tin and scatter the capers and olives over the vegetables.

Place the trimmed, chicken thighs skin side up on top of the vegetables. Slice the second lemon and tuck the lemon slices, thyme and bay leaves under the chicken and the vegetables. Place the cut garlic in with the chicken and vegetables.

Drizzle the olive oil over the contents of the roasting tin and turn everything over with your hands. Make sure the chicken pieces are skin side up on top of the vegetables and there are no lemon slices sticking out as they will burn quickly in the oven.

Roast in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through and the skin of the chicken is crisp and golden. Make sure the chicken is cooked well by stabbing with a skewer and checking the juices run clear.

Serve this dish straight from the roasting tin to plates or transfer everything to a large, warmed serving dish to serve at the table.

Alternative serving suggestion

• Other vegetables such as parsnips, or butternut squash could be used instead of fennel.
• Fresh salmon fillets could be used instead of chicken in this recipe. Roast all the vegetables for 20 minutes, or until soft. Place the salmon fillets on top of the vegetables and cook for 10 minutes or until the salmon has cooked through.