Roasted Chicken, Dates & Almonds topped with Goats Cheese, Orange & Rocket
4-6
servings20
minutes1
hourStovetop to Oven
Moderate
I love being able to take a dish from the oven straight to the table. This tray roasted Chicken with dates is perfect for this. Simply add the salad ingredients to the tray after roasting and let your guests serve themselves straight from the tray. The fresh dates take on the lovely pan juices and become plump and jammy and make a lovely balance to the sharp goat’s cheese.
Ingredients
4 chicken marylands
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 rashers bacon, cut into 3 pieces each
1 red onion, peeled and sliced into eight wedges
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 orange, sliced into thick rounds
8 Natural Delights fresh Medjool dates
4 sprigs thyme
1/2 tsp ginger, ground
1/2 -1tsp chilli flakes (depending on taste)
1 cup chicken stock
- To serve:
1/3 C flaked almonds, toasted
125 g marinated goats feta, or Persian feta (cows)
1 orange, skin removed and sliced into thin rounds
1 1/2 cup rocket leaves
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Preheat oven 200°C.
- Heat half the oil over medium high heat in a large fry pan, add bacon rashers and cook through (5 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside
- Add remaining oil to the pan, place chicken skin side down and cook until browned (4 – 5 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside with bacon.
- Toss orange slices, onion and garlic into the pan and sauté for 5 minutes until onions have softened.
- Sprinkle spices across the chicken skin.
- Lay the onion, garlic and orange across a standard baking tray then place the chicken evenly across the tray followed by bacon, dates and thyme.
- Roast in the oven for 30-40 mins depending on the size of the Maryland’s. The chicken is cooked when you place a knife into the joint and the juices run clear.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving scattered with fresh orange slices, goats cheese, rocket leaves and toasted almonds.
- Spoon over roasting juices to finish.
Cooking Notes
- Swap – Chicken Maryland for whole spatchcocked quail
- Swap – goat’s cheese for cow’s milk Persian style feta
- Swap – Rocket for steamed broccolini
