Chicken Legs Roasted with Mediterranean Vegetables

This recipe is incredibly simple to prepare and the wonderful smells that will fill your kitchen as it is cooking will have you salivating long before it is time to eat. The dish can be made to serve two to four people but if preparing this for four people, you may wish to double the vegetable quantities.

Ingredients

4 chicken leg/thigh pieces
1 courgette (zucchini in USA)
1 large red onion
1 yellow bell pepper
8 cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt and white pepper

6 black olives and flat leafed parsley to garnish

Crusty bread to serve as an accompaniment

Method

Put your oven on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6.

The red onion should be peeled and quartered. The bell pepper should be halved, de-seeded and each half quartered in to strips. The courgette (zucchini) should be topped and tailed, cut in half lengthwise and chopped in to one inch pieces. The tomatoes should be left whole but a small slit should be made in the top of each of them to prevent them from bursting in the heat of the oven. Mix the vegetables and spread them out over the base of a large, deep baking tray. Season well with salt and white pepper and drizzle liberally with olive oil.

Lay the chicken leg portions on top of the vegetables. Season and drizzle with more olive oil. Place the tray in to the oven for forty-five minutes.

It is important to check that the chicken is properly cooked. Remove the tray from the oven and pierce the thickest part of each chicken thigh with a metal skewer or fork. Ensure that the juices run clear and that there are no traces of red or pink. If there are, put back in to the oven for another ten minutes and test again. Cover the tray with tinfoil and set aside for ten to fifteen minutes, to allow the chicken to rest.

While the chicken is resting, chop some flat leafed parsley and about six pitted black olives. Slice some fresh bread, which can be used to soak up the delicious olive oil, vegetable and chicken juices.

Use a large, slotted spoon to transfer the roast vegetables to a serving dish (see image at top of post) and lay the chicken legs on top. Garnish with the parsley and chopped olives and take to the table with the bread.