Olive, Date, and Orange Braised Chicken

1

Gather and prepare your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan.

2

Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, then season well with salt and pepper. Removing extra moisture yields extra crispy skin.

3

Heat the pan over medium heat. Once hot, add half of the olive oil and chicken and cook for 10-12 minutes, without moving, until the skin is deeply golden brown, and the thighs can be lifted from the pan without sticking.

4

Remove from the pan and place onto a side plate.

5

Return the pan to the heat. Add the onion with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Use your spatula to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

6

Stir through the tomato puree and ras al hanout spice blend. Cook for about a minute, until darkened and fragrant.

7

Add the chickpeas and their liquid, dates, olives, kale, chicken stock and orange juice. Reserve some olives for garnish, if desired.

8

Nestle the chicken, skin side up, among the other components.

9

Cover. Place into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until tender and falling apart at the bone.

10

Serve sprinkled with parsley, orange zest, and some roughly chopped olives, if desired.