An Easy Recipe for the Weekend

Chicken with Potatoes, Garlic  &  Sherry

Ingredients

·       Olive oil

·       8 chicken thighs, skin on, or 1 whole chicken cut into             8 portions. Or as much as you need for your guests.

·       600g/1lb small potatoes.

        2 sticks of celery chopped into pieces

·       3 whole heads garlic, cloves separated but not peeled

    You can slightly crush the garlic with the flat side of a                    

     knife

·       8 sprigs thyme

·       125ml Amontillado sherry (I use any sherry I have)

·       White Wine.

 Method

1.    Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a wide ovenproof pan that can take the chicken in a single layer. Season the chicken well then brown on all sides in batches. You just want to get a good colour, not cook the chicken through. Remove to a warm plate.

2.    Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/340F/gas 5. Scatter the potatoes over the bottom of the pan while it's still on the hob. Add the garlic, thyme and seasoning and stir to coat everything in juices. Put the chicken on top, skin up, add the sherry and bring up a simmer. When it's simmering, put the pan in the oven, uncovered, for 40-50 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through. Most of the sherry will be absorbed and the chicken crisp and golden.

Add the wine if you think the dish looks too dry. Check after about 30 minutes to make sure the dish is not burning. You could add more sherry, your preference.

John’s Tips: I use a large all metal Calphalon frying  pan to cook this dish. The handle comes in handy when taking from the oven.

Potatoes: Use potatoes you don’t have to peel, just wash’m. You can use bigger potatoes, just cut them into a uniform size so they don’t take too long to cook.

As a side dish asparagas cooked in a little olive oil and fresh ground pepper goes very well with this dish.

As a wine I serve a good Pino Grigio. I even serve Chianti if it’s preferred.