Recipe: Vicki Ravlich-Horan | Photography: Brydie Thompson
This is the perfect one pan dish you can whip up mid-week. I included fennel and potatoes and served it on fresh rocket to make it a complete meal, but you could add other vegetables like zucchini (cut into big wedges) or sweet potatoes; broccoli would also be great.
Serves 4 | Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Grain Free
1kg chicken drumsticks*
4 lemons
4 large gloves garlic, peeled
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 medium potatoes, washed
2 whole fennel bulbs, or 8 baby
fresh thyme (rosemary or oregano would also work well)
salt & pepper
Mix the juice of 1 lemon with ¼ cup olive oil, garlic and some of the chopped thyme. Pour over the chicken and allow to marinade (at room temperature) for half an hour.
Meanwhile chop the potatoes into chunky wedges (4–6 per potato). If using whole fennel bulbs cut the core out and cut into quarters. Finally cut the lemons into 3–4 rounds.
Drizzle the remaining olive oil on a large oven tray. Scatter the fennel, potatoes and lemons on top along with the remaining sprigs of thyme. Place the chicken on the tray before seasoning liberally with salt and freshly ground pepper. I try to place a drumstick on top of a lemon slice and ensure the chicken is also covering the garlic cloves so they don’t burn and the chicken benefits from their flavour as it cooks.
Back at 180°C for 45 minutes. Check that the chicken is completely cooked by inserting a skewer into the meatiest piece. If the juices run clear it is cooked.
*Any chicken pieces with the skin on and bone in will work. Just remember a chicken thigh will probably take longer than a drumstick, so I prefer to cook all drumsticks or all thighs.
