Chicken Thighs with Crispy Chickpeas & Herb Oil

Ingredients

• 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin on
• 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted very dry
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• salt and black pepper
• 15g fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 15g fresh mint
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Crusty ciabatta, to serve
• Dressed rocket salad with shaved parmesan, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan. Toss the very-dry chickpeas with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the smoked paprika, garlic powder and cumin. Season well, spread across a baking tray in a single layer, and roast for 15 minutes until they're starting to crisp and the spices smell toasty.
2. Meanwhile, pat the chicken thighs dry and season generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Lay the thighs in skin-side down and cook, undisturbed, for 8 minutes until the skin is deeply golden and crisp and releases easily from the pan. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Push the chicken thighs to the edges of the pan and scatter the par-roasted chickpeas into the centre, where they'll soak up the schmaltz. Transfer the pan to the oven.
4. Roast for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (juices run clear at the bone) and the chickpeas are properly crunchy.
5. While everything roasts, make the herb oil. Blitz the parsley, mint, garlic, lemon zest and juice with the extra virgin olive oil until smooth and vivid green. Season to taste — it should be punchy and lemon-forward.
6. Spoon the chicken and crispy chickpeas onto plates, drizzle the herb oil generously over the top, and finish with a scatter of torn mint and a lemon wedge on the side.