Roasted Chicken with Jerusalem Artichokes and Lemon
Their roasted chicken with Jerusalem artichoke and lemon is so deeply fragrant with saffron, herbs, and garlic that it perfumes the entire house. The best part? Its equal parts lazy, versatile, and impressive. The combination of saffron and whole lemon slices does not only make for a beautiful-looking dish, it goes exceptionally well with the nutty earthiness of the artichokes. To make it, you'll combine bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs with lemon juice, olive oil, thinly sliced lemons, tons of garlic and shallots, chopped fresh herbs, saffron, and Jerusalem artichokes (aka sunchokes) in a large bowl and marinate the mixture overnight. An hour before dinner, you'll dump everything into a large baking dish, roast it uncovered for 30 minutes, then roast it covered for 15 minutes. The result is a chicken dinner that's glistening and saucy, with tender vegetables and caramelized lemon, all swimming in a luxurious saffron-scented pan sauce.
1 lb Jerusalem artichokes, peeled, cut into six lengthways, 1.5 cm thick wedges (450 g)
3 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed (45 mL)
8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
12 banana or other large shallots, halved lengthwise
12 large cloves garlic, sliced
1 medium lemon, cut in half lengthways and then into very thin slices
1 tsp. saffron threads
3½ Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (50 mL)
⅔ cup water, cold (150 mL)
1 Tbsp. pink peppercorns, slightly crushed
¼ cup fresh thyme leaves (10 g)
1 cup tarragon leaves, chopped (40 g)
2 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
Put the Jerusalem artichokes in a medium saucepan, cover with plenty of water and add half the lemon juice. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until tender but not soft. Drain and leave to cool.
Place the Jerusalem artichokes and all the remaining ingredients, excluding the remaining lemon juice and half of the tarragon, in a large mixing bowl and use your hands to mix everything together well. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight, or for at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 475°F (245°C/225°C fan, Gas Mark 9).
Arrange the chicken pieces, skin-side up, in the centre of a roasting tin and spread the remaining ingredients around the chicken. Roast for 30 minutes. Cover the tin with foil and cook for a further 15 minutes. At this point, the chicken should be completely cooked.
Remove from the oven and add the reserved tarragon and lemon juice. Stir well, taste and add more salt if needed. Serve at once.
Cook's Notes:
- A recipe that impresses those around your table and yet is totally flexible and fuss-free for you isn't always easy to come by. That's what makes this roasted chicken is total win. Here's how I like to play around and make it work for me.
- Swap out the Jerusalem artichokes. Jerusalem artichokes can be hard to find outside of farmers markets and specialty stores. Baby potatoes are much easier to procure and even more of a crowd-pleaser, so I often swap them in. Par-boil them in salted water until just tender before marinating them with the chicken so they'll be extra fluffy and tender when roasted. You could also try cauliflower or broccoli florets, halved Brussels sprouts, or a combination - no need to par-cook any of these.
- Change out the fresh herbs. The recipe calls for a combination of fresh thyme and tarragon. Again, use this simply as a guideline. Any woody fresh herb will work. Rosemary, sage, and even oregano can take their place if that's what you have on hand.
- Keep the saffron. The one element I wouldn't mess with here is the saffron. It's really what sets this apart from any other chicken dinner and makes for a beautifully orange-hued pan sauce. While you can use a little less than the 1 tsp. that's called for, I do encourage you to splurge so you can enjoy all of saffron's musky, floral goodness.