Crispy Chicken Breast with Charred Broccoli & Lemon

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, skin on
• 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 lemon, halved
• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 0.5 tsp chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• salt and black pepper
• Crusty bread, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve
• Fresh parsley, to serve

Method

1. Pat the chicken breasts thoroughly dry with kitchen paper — dry skin is the difference between crisp and flabby. Score the skin three times with a sharp knife, then rub all over with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, the smoked paprika, a generous pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper.
2. Heat a large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken in skin-side down and leave it completely undisturbed for 8–9 minutes — you want the skin deeply golden, lacquered and audibly crisp. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more.
3. Transfer the pan to a 200°C fan oven and roast for 10–12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (74°C in the thickest part). Lift onto a board and rest for 5 minutes — don't skip this, the juices need to settle.
4. While the chicken rests, set the same pan back over high heat with its golden pan juices and the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the broccoli florets cut-side down and leave them be for 3–4 minutes, until properly charred and blackened in patches. Flip, scatter in the sliced garlic and chilli flakes, and cook for a further 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and just turning gold.
5. Squeeze half the lemon over the broccoli, toss, and season with salt.
6. Slice the chicken thickly on the diagonal so the crisp skin stays put. Pile alongside the charred broccoli, spoon every last drop of pan juice over the top, and serve with the remaining lemon half for squeezing.