Chicken with Olives, Almonds & Oregano

This is another dish from "Where the heart is" by Karen Martini like many of her recipes there's a lot of flavours intermingling resulting in something a bit more complex than might be found in a typical Donna Hay recipe. This really is a complete meal in a pot, potatoes and onions line the base and soak up all those wonderful juices from the chicken. The chicken itself has two marinades, one based on red chillies, mustard and lemon and the other on fresh herbs, olives and green chillies. Almonds provide a textural element in their sweet crunch. The final result has a definite kick but deliciously moorish to boot.



Chicken with Olives, Almonds and Oregano

80 grams blanched almonds, roughly chopped (you can use raw almonds)
40 grams pitted Kalamata olives, chopped (you can use green or your favourite type)
½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
½ bunch oregano leaves, roughly chopped
1 green chilli, sliced (adjust to your preference)
50ml extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
1 long red chilli, sliced (adjust to your preference)
2 cloves garlic, sliced finely
½ lemon, rind zested and juiced
freshly ground salt
¾ tablespoon Dijon Mustard
2 free-range Chicken Marylands, jointed
2 large Desiree potatoes, finely sliced (I prefer to leave the skin on)
1 red onion, sliced into rings
¼ cup water
¼ cup Verjuice (or White Wine)

Mix the almonds, olives, parsley, oregano and green chilli with a drizzle of oil in a large bowl. Grind over with pepper, stir until combined then set aside.

Into a non-reactive bowl add the red chilli, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, salt & pepper - stir well before adding the chicken pieces. Toss around to coat, then leave for 10 minutes.

Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the chicken, keeping the heat high so not to stew the pieces. Cook until the chicken has been browned then remove from heat. Add the chicken to the almond mixture.

Lightly grease an ovenproof dish and cover the base with the potatoes and onions. Place the chicken pieces on top of this, sprinkling over an leftover almond mix.

Add the wine and water to the mustard marinade, mix well before pouring this over the chicken.





Cover the dish with foil before placing in a preheated 200°C/390°F oven - cook for 20 minutes before removing foil. Bake for at least another 15 minutes or until the chicken is golden and cooked through - turn down the heat if you think it's browning too quickly.




Serve immediately with some crusty bread so you can enjoy those lovely pan juices. There's enough here for two very generous serves - or serve with a simple green salad and have the leftovers for a most appetising lunch.




Tagged with Savoury Food