Serves 4-6
1 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
1 medium, free-range chicken (about 1.75kg), jointed into 6-8 pieces (or 6-8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal, about 5mm thick
3-4 celery stalks, sliced on the diagonal, about 1cm thick
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic bulb, halved horizontally
2-3 bay leaves
150ml white wine
300g new potatoes, sliced 8-10mm thick
200g spring onions or baby leeks, washed and trimmed
4 tbsp roughly chopped herbs, such as chives, mint, flat-leaf parsley and/or tarragon
A little extra virgin rapeseed or olive oil, to serve (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and brown the chicken pieces, in two batches, turning the meat from time to time and seasoning with salt and pepper as it sizzles. Transfer, skin side up, to a roasting dish large enough to fit in all the chicken and vegetables fairly snugly. Put the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and bay leaves around the chicken.
2 Pour the wine into the browning pan and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes, scraping up any caramelised bits from the base. Add this liquid to the roasting dish. Boil a kettle and add 600-750ml hot water to the dish (you want the vegetables to be covered so they can cook, but the chicken skin to be a little proud of the liquid, so it can continue to brown in the oven). Cover the dish with foil and put in the oven for 30 minutes.
3 Remove the foil and add the potatoes, making sure they’re submerged in the cooking liquor. Return to the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes, then lay the spring onions or baby leeks on top of the meat and vegetables and put back in the oven for a final 15 minutes. Check that the chicken is cooked right through, and that the vegetables are just tender.
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4 Sprinkle generously with herbs and serve in warmed bowls, topped with a trickle of extra virgin oil, if you like.
Recipe extracted from River Cottage Light & Easy: Healthy Recipes for Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, published by Bloomsbury on September 11 and available from the Times bookshop for £22.50 (RRP £25), free p&p, on 0845 2712134; timesbooks.co.uk