Baked Chicken with Parmesan Potatoes

Ingredients

• 4 skin-on chicken thighs (about 800g)
• 800g baby potatoes, halved
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp garlic-infused oil
• 1 lemon (zest and juice)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 50g fine polenta
• 60g finely grated Parmesan
• 100g baby spinach
• Crusty ciabatta, to serve
• Mixed leaf salad, to serve
• Garlic aioli, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C). Tip the halved potatoes into a large roasting tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and spread them in a single layer — crowded potatoes steam instead of roasting. Give them 15 minutes to start browning at the edges.
2. While the potatoes go, pat the chicken thighs thoroughly dry — water means steam, and steam means no crisp skin. In a bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil with the garlic-infused oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, smoked paprika, chopped rosemary, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the thighs through until every bit of skin is glossy and coated. The garlic-infused oil carries the garlic flavour without any risk of burning in the oven — watch it though, garlic that catches turns the whole tray bitter.
3. Pull the tray out, nestle the thighs skin-side up among the potatoes with space around each one — don't crowd them, or the skin won't crisp. Roast for 25–30 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and crackling, the potatoes give easily to a knife tip, and the juices at the bone run clear (75°C internal).
4. While the tray roasts, stir the polenta and Parmesan together with a pinch of pepper. Warm a small non-stick pan over medium heat with a thin film of olive oil and toast the mixture for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells nutty and turns pale gold. This is the bloom step that wakes the polenta up — raw polenta tastes dusty, toasted polenta tastes sweet and sandy.
5. When the chicken is just cooked, scatter the toasted Parmesan-polenta over the potatoes and around the thighs. Return to the oven for 3–4 minutes, until the topping sets into a light golden crust.
6. Taste a potato and a flake of skin — adjust salt and pepper now, not at the table. Toss the baby spinach with a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil so it just begins to wilt from the warmth.
7. Pile the dressed spinach onto a warm platter, lift the chicken and potatoes on top, and spoon over every drop of the lemony pan juices. Scatter with extra rosemary leaves and serve with the mixed leaf salad and garlic aioli alongside.