Recipes

Baked tarragon chicken

May 05, 2017

Photographs © Chris Middleton

We all crave warming comfort food when the weather starts to cool down – rich and fragrant curries, succulent braises and soups, and meat so tender you could cut it with a spoon. This is the time of year when the art of slow cooking comes into its own.

Low & Slow revolves around this ancient method of slow cooking. The recipes are not only uncomplicated and economical, but incredibly tender and full of flavour.

You’ll find all the classic winter warmers here – hearty beef bourguignon, braised lamb shanks, pulled pork, coq au vin, osso buco, lasagne – as well as hearty soups, slow-cooked barbecuing classics, Indian curries and luscious desserts.

Whether you’re time poor, the family cook, an entertainer, vegetarian or shameless sweet-tooth, this book will help you slow down and enjoy the process and of cooking again.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 free-range chicken leg quarters
1 1⁄2 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons tarragon leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried tarragon
2 lemons, quartered
2 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
Green salad, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C/275°F (fan-forced).

2. Place the chicken pieces in a large baking dish and season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Brush with the melted butter, then sprinkle with the tarragon. Tuck the lemon quarters in and around the chicken.

3. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil, transfer to the oven and bake for 1½ hours.

4. Remove the foil and add the potatoes to the dish. Brush the chicken and potatoes with the cooking juices from the bottom of the dish.

5. Return to the oven, leaving the foil off, and bake for a further 1 hour.

6. Increase the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F (fan-forced). Bake for a final 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and the chicken skin is golden.

7. Serve the chicken and potatoes with a green salad.

Recipes from Low & Slow: Comfort Food for Cold Nights by Louise Franc. Published by Smith Street Books. RRP 39.99.