An easy meal for late Summer days. The chicken is cooked slowly to produce lots of delicious juice to add to the salad dressing. This simple salad has a lot to recommend it. To save time, make the savoury crumbs in advance – they keep very well.
For 4
4 organic free-range chicken leg portions or 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks (all with bones)
About 125ml of white wine, vermouth or water
1 tsp salt flakes
Finely grated zest and juice of a lemon
1 bulb of garlic, cut in half horizontally
A few stems of tarragon or thyme
2 or 3 little gem lettuces or other salad leaves
A small bunch of spring onions
125g cooked peas
For the dressing:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine or tarragon vinegar
1 tsp runny honey
1 tsp English mustard
You will also need some baked sourdough crumbs from the Sherbhert recipe in these pages.
If you like, add in 2 tablespoons of Sherbhert’s sultanas in sherry.
You will also need a roasting tin or dish which will hold all the chicken tightly packed together.
Preheat the oven to 150c.
Put the chicken in the roasting tin or dish and add enough vermouth, wine or water to just about cover the bottom of the pan.
Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and the lemon zest and juice.
Tuck in the garlic and tarragon or thyme and sprinkle with the olive oil.
Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for 2 hours by which time it will be completely cooked and tender and gently falling apart.
While the chicken is roasting, prepare the salad:
Wash and drain the little gem lettuces or other salad leaves.
Trim the spring onions and slice them finely.
Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing together.
When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes or so while you finish the salad.
Put the leaves in a large, shallow serving bowl with the spring onions.
Add a few tablespoons of the chicken juices to the prepared dressing and mix together. Use this to dress the leaves.
Remove the chicken meat from the bones and add it to the dish, with the roasted garlic too if you like. Spoon any juices left in the pan over the chicken.
Sprinkle the peas over the chicken and leaves. Finally sprinkle generously with the baked sourdough crumbs and, if you are using them, the sultanas in sherry.
