Garlic & thyme chicken & cannellini mash recipe

Don’t be put off by the amount of garlic used in this garlic and thyme chicken with cannellini and potato mash recipe: because the pungent root is baked in its skin, it becomes deliciously sweet. Chicken thighs are juicy and full of flavour, but it’s best to use skinless ones to keep the sauce grease-free.

Ingredients

(serves 4)

4tbsp olive or rapeseed oil

8 large skinless chicken thighs

150ml chicken stock

250ml red wine

1 whole garlic bulb, separated into cloves but kept unpeeled

1 small bunch of thyme, broken into sprigs

1 large bay leaf

1 orange, halved

875g floury white potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized chunks

420g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

4tbsp dairy-free milk

2tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

4tbsp balsamic vinegar

Pinch of sugar

Salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/375°F/gas mark 5.

Place a medium-sized, heavy roasting tin on the hob over a medium heat, add half the oil and lay in the chicken thighs. Season with a little salt and lots of pepper. Fry the chicken thighs for a few minutes until beginning to colour. Meanwhile, mix together the stock and red wine in a jug.

Add the garlic cloves, thyme sprigs and the bay leaf to the roasting tin. Squeeze over the juice from the orange halves and toss in the squeezed halves. Pour in one-third of the wine and stock mixture and toss together well.

Bake the chicken pieces for about 30 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking, until cooked through – the juices should run clear when pierced through the thickest part with the tip of a knife.

Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water for 20-25 minutes until tender. Drain and return to the pan. Add the cannellini beans, milk and remaining oil and mash together. Stir in the parsley and season well with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Place the chicken thighs in a serving dish along with half the garlic cloves, the orange halves and bay. Set to one side and keep warm. Squeeze the pulp from the remaining garlic cloves into the roasting tin. Place the tin on the hob over a medium heat, add the balsamic vinegar, remaining wine and stock mixture and the sugar and bring to the boil.Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the sediment from the base of the tin and mash in the garlic pulp. Simmer over a high heat for about four minutes or until syrupy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with the cannellini and potato mash, along with lightly dressed baby spinach leaves.