Herby Roast Chicken Thighs with Fresh Kale Salad

Autumn is well on the way and with the change in season, comes a change in produce that’s begging to be transformed into a comforting, nutritious dinner. The herb rub on the chicken is ridiculously easy to make but provides a fresh and zingy flavour that compliments the tart, earthy kale salad.

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 1 25g pack of fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 25g pack of fresh chives
• 1 25g pack of fresh tarragon
• 15g of fresh thyme
• 100g soft butter
• 3 large cloves of garlic
• 8 chicken thighs
• Olive oil as required

For the Salad

• 200g curly kale, tough stalks removed and leaves torn into bite sized pieces
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
• 120ml boiling water (for the pickling)
• 120ml red wine vinegar (for the pickling)
• 1 tbsp caster sugar (for the pickling)
• 1 tsp of sea salt (for the pickling)
• 50g of dried cranberries, softened in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, then drained.
• 2 tsp of Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 40g of lightly toasted pumpkin seeds

Method

1. Begin by preheating your oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, Gas 6.
2. In a food processor, blend all the herbs with the butter, garlic, seasoning and a good glug of olive oil. Whiz this until it forms a paste.
3. This part does get a little messy! Using your hands, massage the paste into the chicken thighs and place them in a roasting tin. Roast for 35 minutes or until golden, crispy and the juices run clear.
4. While the chicken cooks, you can begin preparing the salad. Pickle the onion by placing the slices in a heatproof bowl or clean jar. In a jug, mix the boiling water, vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved. Pour over the onion, ensuring it is fully submerged. Leave for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours in the fridge for best flavour).
5. Prepare the kale by placing the torn kale leaves in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and warm them in a pan on a low heat for a few minutes to soften slightly and bring out the green. Add them back to the mixing bow.
6. Drain the cranberries and add them to the kale.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and mayonnaise until smooth. Adjust seasoning if needed.
8. To assemble the salad, drain the pickled onions and add them to the kale mixture. Pour over the dressing and toss everything together. Scatter with toasted pumpkin seeds.
9. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the chicken thighs and fresh lemon slices.

Images by Humphrey Munson

Crockery by Burleigh

Linens by Rebeca Udall