Name: Roman fried chicken with tomatoes and crisp oregano
Ingredients: 4 skin-on chicken thighs, deboned (500g); 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 1½ tsp dried oregano; 105ml olive oil; 15g oregano sprigs; 130g unsmoked pancetta, chopped; ½ tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed; 1 tsp tomato paste; ¾ tsp chilli flakes; 300g datterini tomatoes; ½ tsp maple syrup; 1½ tsp white wine vinegar; Fine sea salt and black pepper

Main Dairy free

Serves 4

Prep 20 min

Cook 35 min

Marinate 1hr

This dish sits somewhere between Rome and the eastern Mediterranean, where herbs are used with abandon and olive oil is never held back. Chicken thighs, marinated simply with garlic and oregano, are fried until their skin turns deeply golden, then paired with a sauce built slowly from pancetta, tomatoes and fennel seeds, rich and slightly sweet, sharpened at the end with vinegar. Fresh oregano is fried until crisp, lending a brittle, aromatic finish. Serve with bread to mop up every last bit of the oil-slicked sauce.

Ingredients

4	skin-on chicken thighs, deboned (500g)
2	garlic cloves, crushed
1½ tsp	dried oregano
105ml	olive oil
15g	oregano sprigs
130g	unsmoked pancetta, chopped
½ tsp	fennel seeds, lightly crushed
1 tsp	tomato paste
¾ tsp	chilli flakes
300g	datterini tomatoes
½ tsp	maple syrup
1½ tsp	white wine vinegar
	Fine sea salt and black pepper

Method

Place the chicken thighs in a bowl with the garlic, dried oregano, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt and a good grind pepper. Mix well then set aside to marinate for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight in the fridge).
Place a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add 30 ml of the oil and place the chicken thighs skin side down. Cook undisturbed for 7–9 minutes, until the skin is deeply golden and crisp. Turn over and cook for a further 4–5 minutes, until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and leave to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into 2–3 cm pieces.
Meanwhile, place a sauté pan over medium heat and add the remaining 60 ml of olive oil. Add the oregano sprigs and fry for 2–3 minutes, turning once, until crisp and fragrant. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on kitchen paper.
In the same pan, add the pancetta and cook for 3–4 minutes, until golden and crisp. Stir in the fennel seeds and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and chilli flakes, cook for another minute then stir in the tomatoes. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring frequently, until they burst and soften but still hold their shape.
Stir through the maple syrup, vinegar and ⅛ teaspoon of salt, then remove from the heat.
Arrange the sliced chicken on a serving platter and spoon over the sauce, along with any resting juices. Serve with the crispy oregano on top.