LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN
These lemon garlic chicken drumsticks are an inexpensive and easy dinner. The warm kumara, kale and feta salad is a nice alternative to regular salads on cooler nights.
If you’re not a fan of eating meat off the bone (I know a few people!), you can use boneless chicken thighs instead. Kale works really well in the salad, especially if you give it a bit of a massage with some of the dressing to soften it up a little. It keeps much better than baby spinach does, although this is still a good alternative.
LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN
These lemon garlic chicken drumsticks are an inexpensive and easy dinner. The warm kumara, kale and feta salad is a nice alternative to regular salads on cooler nights.
Ingredients
CHICKEN
- 1 kg chicken drumsticks (2lb 3oz)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice (juice of half a lemon)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
SALAD
- 400 g orange kumara (3 small) (14oz)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp pinenuts
- 100 g kale (3.5oz)
- 1/2 telegraph cucumber
- 2 spring onions
- 100 g feta cheese (3.5oz)
- 40 g sundried tomatoes (1/4 cup)
- 250 g microwave pouch brown, red and wild rice (8.8oz)
DRESSING
- 1 small clove garlic
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice (juice of half a lemon)
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
Preheat oven to 220ºC (430ºF) bake. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
PREPARE CHICKEN & KUMARA
Place chicken drumsticks in a roasting dish and pat dry with paper towels. Whisk together oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper. Brush all over the chicken using a pastry brush (or pour over and use your hands to coat).
Peel kumara and dice into 2-3cm cubes. Place on prepared tray, drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat using your hands. Bake chicken and kumara for 35 minutes, until chicken is golden brown and cooked through and kumara is crisp around the edges. I recommend you swap the trays around halfway through cooking.
PREPARE SALAD
Heat a small frying pan over a medium heat and toast pinenuts. Finely chop kale and dice cucumber. Slice spring onions and dice feta and sundried tomatoes. Microwave rice according to instructions on the packet.
MAKE DRESSING
Crush garlic and combine with oil, lemon juice, honey, mustard, oregano and a little salt and pepper (I like to shake the ingredients together in a small jar).
SERVE
Massage a couple of tablespoons of the dressing into the kale, to help kale soften a little. Mix the kale, cucumber, onion, feta, tomatoes, kumara and rice together in a large bowl with the remaining dressing. Top with pinenuts and serve with chicken.
Recipe Notes
WINE MATCH: A Riesling would compliment this meal nicely.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: This meal is naturally gluten-free.
INGREDIENT SWAPS: You could use chicken thighs instead of drumsticks (bone-in thighs will require an extra 5-10 minutes cooking time). You can replace the kale with baby kale or spinach (make sure you skip the massaging step!). Try brown sugar instead of honey.
STORING AND REHEATING: Leftover chicken and salad can be eaten either warmed up or cold - both work well.
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