Golden, ultra-crisp chicken thighs sit proudly on a bed of creamy white beans, all drizzled with a vibrant, fresh tomato dressing. The meat juices and garlic-infused olive oil soak into chunks of roasted sourdough, creating a deeply satisfying and effortless summer meal.
Prep:less than 30 mins
Cook:10 to 30 mins
Serves:Serves 2
Dietary:Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free
By Ben LippettFrom Saturday Kitchen Recipes
This recipe rates a Nutri-Score of C. While the white beans and fresh tomato dressing provide excellent fibre and vitamins, the generous amount of olive oil used to crisp the chicken skin and the natural fat within the chicken thighs bring the overall fat and calorie content into a moderate range.
Ingredients
For the crispy chicken thighs
- 2–3 boneless chicken thighs, skin on
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 lemon, zest peeled and cut into strips
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 thick sourdough slice, halved
- 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled and lightly crushed
- Handful pitted green olives, such as nocellara de belice
- 570g jar white beans
- Sea salt
- 20g/¾oz fresh basil, leaves torn, to serve
For the tomato dressing
- 2–3 beef tomatoes, such as cuore del vesuvio, halved
- 2–4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp sherry vinegar
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Customise
- Swap chicken thighs for skin-on duck breasts if you want an even richer flavour.
- Replace white beans with butter beans or cannellini beans for a similar creamy texture.
- Use canned tomatoes instead of fresh beef tomatoes for the dressing when tomatoes are out of season.
- Swap sourdough for a rustic ciabatta roll to soak up the delicious garlicky oils.
Method
Crisp the Chicken (8–10 minutes, can warm beans simultaneously)
- Preheat the oven to 230C/210C Fan/Gas 8 so it is roaring hot and ready for the final roast.
- Season the chicken thighs liberally with sea salt on the skin side, then flip them over and season the flesh side with the dried oregano and a few strips of lemon zest.
- Pour the olive oil into an oven-proof stainless steel or cast-iron frying pan over a medium heat. Place the chicken in the pan skin side down, then reduce the heat slightly.
- Place a pan weight or a smaller pan on top of the chicken to keep it flat. Let the skin render and turn beautifully crisp for 8 to 10 minutes without moving it around.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside on a plate to rest, leaving all that flavourful oil behind.
Roast with Sourdough (10–12 minutes)
- Add the sourdough halves and lightly crushed, unpeeled garlic cloves to the hot chicken oil. Sizzle them until the bread just begins to crisp, then flip the slices over.
- Sit the chicken thighs directly on top of the sourdough and scatter the green olives around the pan. Transfer everything into the hot oven for 10 to 12 minutes until the chicken is cooked completely through and the bread is wonderfully crunchy.
Warm the Beans and Make the Dressing (5 minutes, do this while the chicken roasts)
- Tip the jarred white beans into a saucepan along with their cooking liquor. Set the pan over a medium heat and bring it to a bare simmer, then turn off the heat completely. You want them gently warmed through rather than boiling hot.
- Grate the halved tomatoes on the coarse side of a box grater directly into a mixing bowl, stopping once you reach the skins.
- Season the tomato pulp generously with fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar. Stir this together to create a bright, punchy dressing.
Plate and Serve (5 minutes)
- Drain the warm beans and spoon them into shallow serving bowls.
- Liberally spoon the tomato dressing over the creamy beans.
- Carve the crispy chicken into thick strips and arrange them over the top of the beans.
- Drizzle the garlicky chicken oil from the roasting pan all over the dish, tear the fresh basil leaves over the top, and serve the roasted sourdough slices on the side for dipping.