Sage and Fennel Marinated Roast Chicken

, from Issue #71. March, 2017
Photography by Josh Griggs.
Sage and Fennel Marinated Roast Chicken

Marinating the chicken in milk and aromatics makes it wonderfully tender and flavoursome. Serve with a big green salad and crusty bread. 

Serves: 4–6

INGREDIENTS

1½ cups milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 large, whole skin-on cloves garlic, lightly smashed
long strips zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
handful sage leaves
6 chicken drumsticks
6 bone-in chicken thighs
To cook
olive oil
sea salt and ground pepper

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.

Combine the milk with all the remaining ingredients in a large, zip lock food storage bag. Add the chicken pieces and seal the bag, removing the air. Turn to coat the chicken in the marinade. Place the bag in a large shallow dish so it lies flat and refrigerate for 24 hours, turning once. 

Tip the contents of the bag into a large colander, draining off the milk.

Place the chicken and seasonings in a large roasting dish in a single layer. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through, turning occasionally during cooking. 

We served our chicken with lemon wedges and extra sage leaves fried in a little olive oil until crisp.