Olive-brined chicken with dried apricots and garlic
- Portion size: Serves 4
- Hands-on time 10 min, plus at least 1 hour marinating. Oven time 45 min
- Difficulty: easy
Olive-brined chicken is a minimal-effort dish but the marinating is key – you have to give the chicken enough time to marinate for maximum flavour. Using the brine the olives come in (whether from a jar or a tin) is a no-waste way to impart flavour and ensure super-juicy chicken.
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Ingredients
- 100g anchovy-stuffed olives, plus 150g of their liquid
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 100g dried apricots
- 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
- 50g dry sherry or dry white wine
- 3 rosemary sprigs, halved
- 1kg chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
- 250g brown rice (see tips)
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Method
- Pour the olives and brine into a large Pyrex or ceramic baking dish, then stir in the brown sugar. Add the dried apricots, garlic, sherry and rosemary, season with a big pinch of salt and pepper, then add the chicken, massaging the marinade into the thighs. Arrange the thighs in a single layer, skin-side up, then leave to marinate for at least an hour (or up to 24 hours, covered in the fridge).
- Heat the oven to 170ºC fan/gas 5. Put the dish in the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes, basting the chicken with the briny caramelised juices every 15 minutes.
- If you’re serving with brown rice, put this on now as it takes the same amount of time to cook. Rinse the rice, then add to a pan with 500ml water and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain, cover with a lid and leave to sit off the heat for the remaining 10 minutes to finish cooking. Fluff the rice with a fork, then divide among plates. Top with pieces of chicken, then spoon over the sauce.
Nutrition
- 659kcals Calories
- 28g (6.9g saturated) Fat
- 34g Protein
- 64g (16g sugars) Carbs
- 5.1g Fibre
- 1.4g Salt
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