麻豆约拍

by Rachel Roddy from Two Kitchens, Family Recipes from Sicily and Rome (Headline)

Preparing the marinade is more or less all the work involved.聽 After marinating, all you need to do is pour everything into a baking dish, push some slices of orange and green olives in the gaps, rip over some oregano and put the tray in the oven.聽 Chicken and citrus have a great affinity, the lemon giving edge and sharpness, the orange sweetness.

Submerged in the marinade, the lower halves of the thighs poach, while the upper parts roast until golden, and the orange slices crisp and curl at the edges.聽 You can, if you like, thicken the cooking juices by pouring them off into a saucepan to reduce, before pouring the now-thickened juices back over the chicken.

Serves 4

Prep time:聽 10 mins + 4 hrs min. marinating

Cooking time: 50 mins

Ingredients

2 unwaxed oranges

1 unwaxed lemon

6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing

1 clove garlic

1 free-range chicken, jointed, or 8 thighs

100g green olives

1 sprig of fresh oregano or marjoram

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

In a bowl, whisk together the zest and juice of 1 orange and the juice of the lemon with the oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Crush the garlic gently with the back of a knife so that it remains whole and add to the marinade, along with the chicken, making sure each piece is covered.聽

Cover with clingfilm and leave it for 4hrs, or overnight, in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas mark 6.聽

Brush with oil an ovenproof dish or roasting tin that will hold the chicken in a single layer, add the chicken and pour over the marinade, which will come about halfway up the chicken.聽

Add the olives and oregano, then slice the remaining orange and tuck the slices in between the chicken.聽

Roast for 45 mins.聽 If the tops look as if they are browning too fast, cover the dish loosely with foil.

Once the chicken is cooked, assess the amount of liquid that remains.聽 If there is a lot, lift out the chicken pieces and reduce the liquid to a thicker sauce in the roasting tin, or tip it into a pan and boil it hard until it is as thick as you would like, then pour it back over the chicken.聽

I sometimes return the chicken to the oven while the sauce reduces, to give colour to the undersides.