Ingredients

Serves 4

Active cooking time: 15 minutes
Inactive cooking time: 35 minutes

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Salt
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thin + 3 garlic cloves, peeled
5-6 small sprigs of thyme, leaves picked from thick stems
3 good quality anchovy fillets (optional)
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 dry white wine
1 tin peeled san Marzano tomatoes, drained of the liquid or an equivalent volume of fresh tomatoes
1 tin cherry tomatoes, drained of the liquid or an equivalent volume of fresh tomatoes
115g black olives, pits in

To serve:

freshly cracked black pepper
extra thyme to garnish
4 thick slices of sourdough or baguette fried in lots of olive oil until golden brown and then brushed with a garlic clove

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 175C conventional (155C fan-forced).

2. Season your chicken thighs with salt on both sides and then squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon over them as well.

3. Mix the sliced garlic with half of the thyme and tuck a little bit of that mixture under the skin of each thigh. Set aside.

4. In a mortar and pestle, combine the remaining whole garlic, thyme and anchovy fillets and crush to form a rough paste. Set aside.

5. Place the flour on a plate and one by one, dredge each piece of chicken thigh in the flour so they are evenly and lightly coated and set aside.

6. Heat a wide, heavy bottomed skillet over medium/high heat and add 1/4 cup of olive oil.

7. When the oil is hot, add the thighs, skin side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes and when they are golden brown, flip them over and brown the other side for a few minutes. When browned all over, remove from the pan and set aside.

8. Sizzle the anchovy and garlic mixture for a couple of seconds (be careful as this can burn quickly) in the olive oil and then turn off the flame and add the wine to the pan. It will bubble up vigorously. Once this calms down, turn the heat back to medium and add in the tomatoes, crushing the larger tomatoes in the pan to encourage them releasing their liquid.

9. Add the chicken back in, skin side up and sprinkle the olives over the top.

10. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes.

11. Taste the sauce for seasoning and then allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving with crusty fried bread brushed with garlic.

12. Garnish with extra thyme leaves and freshly cracked black pepper.

Note: this recipe is adapted from Elizabeth David’s recipe in “French Provincial Cooking”