This simple, hearty dish only takes 10 minutes to prepare and then you can pop it in the oven and come back to a lovely slow-cooked cassoulet. A tasty and heartwarming dinner, perfect for the winter months.
1 onion, finely diced
1 pack of pancetta, finely sliced
1 Bostock’s free-range organic whole chicken
Bunch Italian parsley, chopped roughly
Bunch thyme, chopped roughly
3 cloves garlic, peeled, roughly chopped
2 St Andrews preserved lemon pieces, discard the flesh and slice the rind intostrips
2-4 bay leaves
2 cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cherry tomatoes
400-500mls Foundation Foods chicken stock
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Optional extra; 2 agria potatoes, peeled and diced into bite-size pieces
Pre-heat the oven to 175°C
Saute onion in a deep casserole dish in a little olive oil until soft
Add the pancetta and saute for a further 2-3 minutes. Take the dish off the heat
Put the herbs at the bottom of the dish under the chicken so the aromatics infuse the dish
Add all the other ingredients
Drizzle the chicken with a tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper
Place the lid on the dish and put it in the oven for 1 hour
Remove the lid, stir and baste the chicken. Leave the lid off and roast for a further 15-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and golden on the top
To serve:Carefully remove the chicken from the dish onto a cutting board and divide it into portions. Discard the bay leaves
On individual plates, spoon the sauce and beans over the chicken
Serve with a simple green salad or steamed green beans and some crusty bread on the side to mop up all the delicious juices
Optional ingredients: Agria potatoes are a great addition if you want to thicken the sauce. They alsohelp to bulk out the dish