Roast chicken with butter beans, sage, shallots and fennel recipe

1 whole chicken or 6 bone-in chicken thighs

1/2 cup table salt

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

7 garlic cloves, grated

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp fennel seeds

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp olive oil

50g butter

Salt and freshly cracked pepper

2 fennel bulbs, sliced into thick wedges

4 shallots, peeled and halved

2 oranges, cut into slices

6–8 fresh sage leaves

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup of verjuice

2 tins of butter beans (400g per tin), drained and washed

1/2 cup chicken stock

First, salt the chicken in the table salt and let it rest in the fridge, uncovered overnight. The next day, wash the salt off and pat dry.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Mix together the remaining marinade ingredients until all combined.

In the oven tray, add the oil, orange slices, fennel, shallots, and chicken. Spread the marinade all over the chicken and underneath the skin.

Cook the chicken in the oven for 40 minutes, then add in the verjuice, chicken stock and butter beans. Cook for a further 30-40 minutes, basting the chicken intermittently until the chicken is deeply golden, cooked through, and everything is bubbling and glossy.

Let rest 5–10 minutes. Serve straight from the pan with lemon wedges, crusty bread or a leafy salad. Finish with an extra drizzle of olive oil and flaky salt if you like.