Roasted Chicken with clementines & ouzo

From Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Ingredients

  • 100ml Ouzo
  • 4tbsp Olive Oil
  • 3 tbsp Orange Juice
  • 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 2 tbsp Grain Mustard
  • 3 tbsp Light brown sugar
  • 2 medium fennel bulbs
  • 1 large chicken (divided into 8 pieces)
  • 4 clementines (unpeeled, sliced horizontally into 0.5xm slices)
  • 1 tbsp of thyme leaves
  • 2 ½ tsp fennel seeds (slightly crushed)
  • Salt and Black Pepper
  • Chopped parsley to garnish

Method

Put the first 6 ingredients into a large mixing bowl and add 1 ½ and 2 1/2 teaspoons of pepper. Whisk well and set aside.

Trim the fennel and cut each bulb in half lengthways. Cut each half into 4 wedges. Add the fennel to the liquids, along with the chicken pieces, clementine slices, thyme and fennel seeds. Stir well with your hands then leave to marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight (skipping the marinating stage is also fine, if you are pressed for time).

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C. Transfer the chicken and its marinade to a baking tray large enough to accommodate everything comfortably in a single layer (roughly a 30cm x 37cm tray); the chicken skin should be facing up. Once the oven is hot enough, put the tray in the oven and roast for 35-45 minutes, until the chicken is coloured and cooked through. Remove from the oven.

Lift the chicken, fennel and clementines from the tray and arrange on a serving plate; cover and keep warm. Pour the cooking liquids into a small saucepan, place on a medium-high heat, bring to a boil then simmer until the sauce is reduced by a third, so you are left with about 80ml. Pour the hot sauce over the chicken, garnish with some chopped parsley and serve.

Tip:

You can use oranges or mandarins instead of clementines and it works just as well