Chicken with bacon and white beans

Tamara West

I like meals where most of it can be cooked in one go. The following chicken fits that bill. It only needs a plainly cooked green vegetable like broccolini or beans to go with it. You can prepare this up to the point of adding the chicken and finish the dish when needed.

Ingredients

4 Tbsp	Extra virgin olive oil
1 large	Onion, finely chopped
1	Carrot, finely diced
1 stick	Celery, thinly sliced
100 g	Bacon, rindless, finely diced (Main)
4 cloves	Garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp	Fresh oregano, or 1 Tbsp dried
1	Preserved lemon, finely diced, or use the zest of 1 lemon if preserved is unavailable
4	Chicken legs, cut in half into drumsticks and thighs (Main)
150 ml	Dry white wine
200 ml	Chicken stock, or vegetable, I use the Rapunzel brand powdered organic vegetable stock
2 cans	Cannellini beans, 400g each, drained but not rinsed (Main)
1 serving	Fresh parsley, for serving

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 200C.
2. Heat the oil over moderate heat in an oven proof frying pan. Add the onion, carrot, celery, bacon, garlic, oregano and lemon. Fry gently without browning for 10 minutes or until the onion is soft.
3. Add the chicken pieces, skin side up, turn up the heat and add the wine. Let it bubble for 30 seconds then add the stock and the beans.
4. Nestle the chicken into the beans. Don't mash the beans. Bring to the boil then place in the oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken is browned and cooked through.
5. Remove from the oven and serve sprinkled with parsley leaves.

Check out more of Ray McVinnie's recipes for Mother's day

• Ceviche salad
• Mango and banana salad with yoghurt and coconut sponge