Roasted Chicken Leg with Butter Beans

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Roasted Chicken Leg with Butter Beans

Ingredient Notes

Chicken maryland:

This is the thigh and drumstick left joined as one piece, sometimes called a leg quarter. More fat and flavour than breast, stays moist through roasting, and the bone-in structure prevents it drying out during the 30 minutes in the oven. The skin crisps across a wide, flat surface when pressed against the pan. Widely available at supermarkets in the bone-in chicken section.

Butter beans:

Large, creamy white beans that hold their shape when warmed through. Canned and rinsed work perfectly here. They absorb the cooking juices, butter and mustard dressing and add body to the salad. Cannellini beans are a good substitute if butter beans aren’t available.

Curly endive:

A slightly bitter, frilly leaf that wilts quickly in the residual heat of the pan. The bitterness cuts through the richness of the chicken fat and butter in the dressing. If unavailable, substitute with radicchio for a similar bitterness, or baby spinach for a milder result. Baby spinach will wilt in seconds; radicchio will hold its texture a little longer.

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Ingredients

1 chicken maryland
2 tsp olive oil
sea salt, to season
400g tin butter beans, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, thinly sliced
15g butter
1 tbsp thyme leaves, chopped
1 tbsp seeded mustard
2 tsp hot honey
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup curly endive leaves, packed

Equipment

Heavy-based oven-proof frying pan
Protein press (or heavy oven-proof pan as weight)
Wire rack over a tray (for resting)
Tongs
Kitchen scales

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Directions

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan force (355°F).
Drizzle chicken with oil and season with salt.
Heat a heavy based oven-proof frying pan over medium-high.
Add chicken, skin side down and place protein press on top. Remove from the heat and transfer to the oven straight away.
Roast for 30 minutes, until juices run clear when pierced in the leg. You’re looking for an internal temp of 70°C, it will continue cooking while it’s resting.
Transfer chicken to a wire rack over a tray to rest.
Meanwhile, drain off all but 1 tbsp of the cooking juices from the pan and place back over medium heat, adding the butter.
Add garlic and asparagus, cook for 2 minutes, until starting to soften. Season with pepper and taste for salt.
Stir in thyme, mustard and honey, then turn off the heat.
Add some of the resting juices from the chicken tray, then stir through beans to warm.
Stir through lemon juice and endive, until leaves are just wilted.
Transfer bean and asparagus salad to a serving plate, then top with chicken and enjoy!

Notes

Chef Tips

Hot pan, skin down, protein press, straight into the oven

This technique is different from a standard sear-then-roast. Place the chicken skin-side down in an heated pan with the protein press or a heavy weight on top, then move the whole thing directly into the preheated oven. The fat renders slowly as the oven climbs, the skin has sustained contact with the hot pan surface throughout, and it crisps evenly without the risk of burning from direct high heat.

Add the resting juices to the beans

After the chicken rests on the wire rack, juices will pool on the tray underneath. These are concentrated flavour. Add them to the butter bean pan when the recipe says to add resting juices. Even a tablespoon or two makes a noticeable difference to the taste of the beans and ties the whole dish together.

Storage

Best eaten immediately but you can keep the butterbean salad in the fridge for up to 2 days. Leftover chicken keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 160°C (320°F) oven for 10 minutes, or slice cold and serve over a fresh salad.

FAQs

What is a chicken maryland?

The thigh and drumstick left joined as one piece. Sometimes called a leg quarter. It’s better for this style of cooking than a thigh alone because the extra bone keeps the meat moist through longer oven time, and the skin crisps across a wider, flatter surface when pressed against the pan. Available at most supermarkets in the bone-in chicken section.

Can I use chicken breast instead?

You can, but the technique needs adjusting. Breast dries out faster, so reduce the oven time to around 18 to 20 minutes and check the internal temperature reaches 70°C (165°F). The skin won’t crisp the same way and you’ll lose some of the richness the thigh fat contributes to the salad. Boneless thigh fillets are a better substitute if you want something easier to cut and serve.

Can I swap the hot honey?

Yes. Regular honey with a pinch of dried chilli flakes or a few drops of hot sauce gives you the same balance of sweetness and heat. If you want to skip the heat altogether, plain honey works fine. The dressing will be slightly sweeter but still works well with the seeded mustard and lemon.

What else can I serve this with?

The dish is complete as a single plate. If you want to extend it, a piece of crusty sourdough to mop up the dressing is the natural addition. Roast potatoes alongside also work if you want more on the plate. The butter beans are substantial enough that you don’t need extra carbohydrates unless you’re particularly hungry.