Lemon Roast Chicken Salad

Indeed, a roast is not necessarily associated with a simple and light lunch. However, if one meal hits the spot for the last of late summer’s sun, it’s the following. Hearty but wholesome, salty and nostalgic, soft, crunchy, leaves leaving room for multiple tongue twisters. A classy bird, as Annie Bell (author of “Living and Eating”, published with John Pawson) might say and she would be right.

For the chicken:

High-quality olive oil
2 organic chicken legs
1 large organic lemon
Half of a preserved lemon (ideally homemade but store-bought – as here – works too)
Half a bunch of thyme
Fresh garlic
Butter
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 170°C. Take the chicken legs out of your fridge at least half an hour before preparing it. Wash and pat dry them before seasoning and rub them with olive oil and butter, if you’re willing to go the extra mile you should also do so carefully under its skin.

Add peeled and generously cut fresh onion, garlic cloves (peeled) quarters of your lemon, roughly chopped pieces of preserved lemon and whole stalks of thyme together with your chicken into your oven, preferably with a lid.

Roast the chicken legs for about 25-30 minutes with the lid on, then remove it, fire the oven up to 200°C and continue roasting until the skin is crispy and the chicken juices come out clear (after inserting a skewer into the thickest part).

Take the legs out, let them rest for 15 minutes, remove the skin, and pull the meat off the bone.

Depending on how crispy you like, put the chicken skin on a baking sheet and back into the oven at 180 for a few minutes. Careful though, it loves to burn and does so quickly.

And now comes the easiest but most crucial part. Remove the herbs and pour all the juices and bits from the tray, including whole lemons, garlic, onion and some of the chicken skin into a blender and blitz until you have a thick marinade. Season if needed. Now mix the pulled chicken with the sauce. It should taste very tangy and salty-smooth. Set aside while you make the salad.

For the salad:

Head lettuce, romaine, radicchio or a mix
A toddler’s handful of tarragon, picked
1 tablespoonful of dijon mustard
Neutral oil such as sunflower or rapeseed
1 teaspoon of honey
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 small clove of garlic, grated
Salt

Wash and drain the salad. In a processor or with a whisk in a bowl* mix mustard, honey, salt, apple cider vinegar and garlic and gradually add the oil until desired consistency. Add the picked and chopped tarragon leaves.

Tear or cut the salad leaves to the mouthful of your liking and dress just a minute before serving.

Top the warm and marinated chicken with the dressed salad, add any herbs (marigolds and nasturtium are great for extra peppery flavours) and the broken down chicken skin bits on top.

Enjoy with a glass of wine or cordial. A slice of garlic-fried bread is optional but not the worst idea.

*Note: For small quantities of dressings I like to use a matcha whisk, which makes even a solo dressing easy to measure and prepare. I don’t recommend using the same one for your matcha though, unless you like a punchy garlic flavour in your morning drink.