Grilled Mustard & Herb Chicken with Olive Oil Baked Potatoes

This is a healthy, nutritious and deliciously simple supper. The adapted recipe comes courtesy of the best cookery writer currently producing cookbooks and columns on food, Nigel Slater, from his book Real Food. I have added my own recipe for healthy baked potatoes as an accompaniment. You could serve this with any dressed green salad or coleslaw. The good thing about the chicken dish is that you are likely to have most of the ingredients to hand; as Nigel says, “a storecupboard way with chicken”. Nigel’s recipe calls for whole chicken thigh fillets marinaded, cooked then cut up. I prefer to cut mine first and marinade the pieces. Either will do, though the whole pieces may take a bit longer on the grill pan.

Serves 4

8 large skinless, boneless, free range chicken thighs
5 tbsps olive oil
2.5 tbsps red wine vinegar
1.5 heaped tbsbs chopped Italian parsley
1.5 tbsbs dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

4 large potatoes, skin on, scrubbed
Fresh ground sea salt and black pepper
Sprinkle of dried oregano
Olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 225˚C
Cut the chicken into large bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl with a little salt and pepper.
Mix the olive oil, herbs, mustard and vinegar together in a bowl and pour over the chicken pieces, mixing well. Leave for an hour or more or overnight.

Meanwhile, put the potatoes into a microwave and cook for about 8 minutes on full power. Remove and place on a chopping board.
Cut the potatoes in half, lengthways. Drizzle olive oil on to the cut halves rubbing all over the surface. Add a sprinkle salt, generous black pepper, and oregano and place in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Heat a griddle pan on a highish heat and get it hot. Shake the marinade from the chicken and reserve it, and add the chicken to the pan. Let it sizzle and cook for 4-5 minutes, turn over the pieces and cook for another 4 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove to a warm serving dish. Into the grill pan add the marinade; let it bubble for a minute or two and pour over a little water, or stock or white wine (I like wine) and pour over the chicken pieces, perhaps with a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with potatoes and salad on the side.