ROAST CHICKEN WITH BASIL, CHILI, AND LEMON
My girlfriend and I made a trip to Marin Sun Farms just south of the West Marin town of Point Reyes and found that they were having a special on chicken. With the intention of taking advantage of discounted, pasture-raised, healthy chicken, we decided to grab a few pounds of thighs and legs. While we debated about several complex recipes on the car ride home, it was a simple and resourceful recipe from Nigel Slater’s, Real Food that ultimately, won us over.
With rapidly wilting basil in the refrigerator and a couple of extra chiles on hand, this satisfying dish came together in minutes and offered the comfort of traditional pan-roasted chicken, but with the refreshing zip of chiles, wine and lemon to cut through the delicious rendered fat. While we ended up eating ours with rice, Slater recommends serving the chicken among a bed of a few green salad leaves “to mop up the sticky, aromatic pan juices from the plate.” A nice baguette might also do the trick.
