Orange Rosemary Roast Chicken with Sweet Potato and Carrot Puree

Otherwise known as Orange Chicken with Orange Mash.

I love chicken legs for this because you get huge flavour from the bone, no carving required. (Legs also offer great value.) However, for those breast-inclined among you, four skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts would be just fine, too, though you’d need to reduce the cooking time slightly.

Feeds 4

Ingredients

For the marinade:
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
3 tbsp fresh orange juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
Big pinch of salt and pepper
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken legs

Method:

Place the chicken pieces skin-side up in a baking dish.

Mix the marinade ingredients together and pour over the chicken pieces. Leave to sit on the counter for half an hour or so if you have time, or bake straightaway.

Preheat the oven to 375F / 190C / 175C Fan. Cover the dish with foil. Bake for half an hour with the foil on, half an hour with the foil off, then leave to rest for a couple minutes before serving.

When the chicken has cooked, pour the sauce from the chicken into a jug and skim off most of the fat. Set aside for a moment, or keep warm in a saucepan over low heat.

Meanwhile, peel the carrots and sweet potato. Cut the carrots into small pieces and keep the sweet potato in very large chunks. Tumble into a pot and cover with cold water. Salt the water generously, then bring to a boil and let cook for 30 minutes, or until both vegetables are very tender. Drain and let steam in the colander for a minute. Add the cooked vegetables to a food processor along with a knob of butter, a small squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if required. (You don’t necessarily want to taste the lemon, but it provides necessary lift and cuts through a bit of the sweetness.) Return the puree to the pot and clamp on a lid to keep warm until you’re ready to serve. The puree can be reheated gently if necessary.

To serve up, dollop a big spoonful of the puree on a plate, then nestle a chicken leg on top. Drizzle over a little of the sauce from the chicken, and garnish with a small sprig of fresh rosemary, if desired.