Baked chicken with lemon and garlic

Rachel Allen - bake book

Serves 4 people

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 chicken (approximately 2.25kg) cut into pieces: breasts, thighs, drumsticks etc
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 125ml white wine
• 20 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• Finely grated zest of 2 lemons and the juice of 1 lemon
• 1 large sprig of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 300ml chicken stock

For the pilaf rice

• 25g butter
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 300g basmati rice
• 750ml chicken or vegetable stock

To serve

• 1 baguette, cut into 1cm thick slices
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Method

1. Preheat the over to 170˚C

2. Heat a large casserole or saucepan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and chicken pieces, skin side down, and cook on both sides until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Pour off and discard any excess fat.

3. Add the wine and garlic gloves and boil for 2 minutes.

4. Next, add the lemon zest and juice, the herbs and the stock. Bring to the boil, cover and bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

5. While the chicken is cooking, toast the slices of the baguette.

6. To cook the rice, melt the butter in a casserole or saucepan that is large enough to accommodate all the rice, add the onion and season. Cover and cook over a low heat for approximately 10 minutes or until the onion is soft. Add the rice and stir for about 2 minutes until it crackles, then add the stock and some salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and transfer to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes or until the rice is just cooked so that it slightly al dente and all the liquid absorbed. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

7. Serve the chicken with the rice in shallow bowls and sprinkled with the chopped parsley. Let each person squeeze the soft garlic out of its skin and spread onto slices of toast baguette, which can mop up the delicious chicken juices.