Winter Chicken Bake

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 200 ml white wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 8 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
• black pepper
• 2 carrots, cut into quarters
• 2 parsnips, cut into quarters
• 300 g frozen peas, thawed
• 2 tsp thyme
• 3 leeks, sliced into rounds
• 1 tsp honey
• sea salt
• 200 g brussels sprout, halved
• Crusty bread, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6).
2. Tip the carrots, parsnips, leeks and Brussels sprouts into a large roasting tin. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper, then pour over half the olive oil and toss until everything glistens.
3. Rub the remaining olive oil into the chicken skin and season the thighs well on both sides. Lay them skin-side up on top of the vegetables, giving each one space to crisp.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the white wine, wholegrain mustard, sherry vinegar and honey until smooth. Pour the mixture around (not over) the chicken so the skin stays dry enough to crisp.
5. Scatter the thyme evenly across the tin and slide it into the oven. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring the vegetables once halfway through to keep them in the buttery pan juices.
6. Pull the tin out and tuck the thawed peas in around the chicken, nudging them down between the vegetables so they soak up the sauce.
7. Return to the oven for a further 25-30 minutes, until the chicken skin is deep golden and crisp, the juices run clear when you pierce a thigh at the bone, and the parsnips are tender at the tip of a knife.
8. Rest the tin on the hob for 5 minutes so the juices settle, then bring straight to the table with mint, parsley and lemon to finish.