Smoky Paprika Chicken Thighs with Roasted Peppers

Ingredients

• 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin-on
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 3 red peppers, deseeded, cut into strips
• 2 yellow peppers, deseeded, cut into strips
• 3 spring onions, green tops only, sliced
• 15 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• salt and black pepper
• 300 g cooked lemon and herb rice

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C. In a small bowl, mix both paprikas, the cumin, garlic-infused oil and lemon juice into a loose paste. The oil spreads the spices evenly across the chicken and peppers. Season the paste generously with salt and plenty of black pepper.
2. Tip the pepper strips into a large roasting tray and toss with half the spiced oil until every strip is glossy and properly coated. Spread them out in a single layer; crowd the tray and they'll steam pale and watery instead of catching and sweetening at the edges.
3. Take a moment to dry the chicken thighs. Rub them all over with the remaining spiced oil, working it under the skin where you can, and season the skin again with a pinch more salt. Lay the thighs skin-side up on top of the peppers with space between each one so the skin can render and crisp rather than poach.
4. Roast for 35–40 minutes, until the skin is deep amber and crackling, the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest part of a thigh against the bone, and the peppers underneath are slumped, jammy and catching at the edges. The spices should smell toasted and sweet around the 25-minute mark.
5. Pull the tray out and rest the chicken for 5 minutes so the peppers drink up the smoky, paprika-stained juices pooling beneath them.
6. Plate the thighs on a bed of the roasted peppers, spoon the tray juices over, scatter with the sliced spring onion tops and chopped parsley, and tuck lemon wedges alongside for squeezing. Serve with lemon and herb rice to catch the paprika oil.