Recipe

One-Pan Roasted Chicken Legs with Olives, Capers & Tomatoes

Name: One-Pan Roasted Chicken Legs with Olives, Capers & Tomatoes
Yield: 3–4
Ingredients: 4 whole chicken legs (thigh and drumstick), bone-in, skin on; 2 × 400g tins chopped tomatoes; 140g pitted Kalamata olives; 3 tbsp capers, rinsed if salted; 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled; 1 lemon, halved; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp smoked sweet paprika; ½ tsp chilli flakes; Sea salt and black pepper; Small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley or basil, roughly torn

Bone-in chicken legs roasted over a pan of tomatoes, olives and capers until the skin is crisp and the sauce underneath has reduced to something concentrated and brilliant. One pan, minimal prep, serious flavour.

Serves 3–4

Ready in 1 hr 15 min

Keeps 4 days fridge

Level Easy

4 whole chicken legs (thigh and drumstick), bone-in, skin on
2 × 400g tins chopped tomatoes
140g pitted Kalamata olives
3 tbsp capers, rinsed if salted
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 lemon, halved
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
½ tsp chilli flakes
Sea salt and black pepper
Small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley or basil, roughly torn

Method

Preheat your oven to 200°C / gas 6. Pat the chicken legs completely dry with kitchen paper — this is non-negotiable for crisp skin. Season generously all over with salt, black pepper, smoked paprika and dried oregano.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large, ovenproof frying pan or wide casserole over high heat until the oil shimmers. Lay the chicken legs skin-side down and don't move them for 6–8 minutes. The skin needs direct, sustained contact to render and colour properly. It will release naturally when it's ready. Turn and sear the underside for 2 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Pour off most of the fat from the pan, leaving about a tablespoon behind. Reduce to medium heat. Add the chopped tomatoes, olives, capers, whole unpeeled garlic cloves and chilli flakes. Season lightly — the olives and capers are salty — and stir well, scraping up any dark, sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. Those bits are flavour.

Nestle the seared chicken legs into the tomato sauce, skin-side up. Tuck the lemon halves alongside, cut-side up. Transfer to the oven and roast for 45–50 minutes until the skin is deeply golden and the tomato sauce has reduced and concentrated around the sides of the pan.

Remove from the oven. Squeeze the roasted lemon halves over everything. Pick up the softened garlic cloves and squeeze the flesh from the skins directly into the sauce — it should be sweet and almost jammy. Stir gently to combine. Scatter over the fresh parsley or basil and serve straight from the pan with bread, polenta or steamed potatoes.

✦ Chef's note

The sear on the skin is the most important step — don't rush it or skip it. If your pan isn't large enough to sear all four legs without crowding, do them in two batches. Crowded chicken steams rather than colours, and the skin will never crisp properly in the oven if it hasn't had a proper start on the hob. Leftovers are excellent shredded into pasta with the sauce.