Braised Chicken & ‘Nduja Lentils
with peppers and black olives
Juicy chicken legs rendered down and braised over smoky, fermented ‘nduja lentils with sweet peppers and briny black olives. Rendering the fat in the pan first gives a crispier finish on the chicken skin, and allows us to use all that flavour to sauté the veg, then finishing it in the oven means the chicken absorbs all the flavour from the ‘nduja lentils below. Sublime.
Serves 4
Tips & Tricks
Cold pan: Render the chicken skin-side down in a cold pan. Don’t use any oil and don’t be tempted to turn the heat up too high. Patience is key here - and don’t move them about! They’ll stick at first but come away once a proper crust has formed - trust the process! (and use a non-stick pan if you have one)
Lentil choice: Use dried brown or green lentils only.
‘Nduja: I used a full pot of Symplicity vegetable nduja for this. It’s made from fermented vegetables and designed to mimic the spicy depth of traditional nduja while being plant-based and much lower in saturated fat than pork nduja. However, normal ‘nduja would of course work well too.
Equipment.
sharp knife & chopping board
large casserole dish or sauté pan
Ingredients.
4 chicken legs (quarters)
1 onion
2-3 carrots
4 garlic cloves
120g Symplicity fermented vegetable ‘nduja, or approx. 60g pork ‘nduja paste
2 bell peppers, red, yellow or orange
250g dried brown or green lentils, rinsed
1l hot chicken stock, made with 1 chicken stock cube
Handful kalamata olives, (stone in) around 15-20
1 tsp dried oregano
Method.
Preheat oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional / 390°F. Bring chicken to room temperature, pat skin completely dry and season well with salt and black pepper.
Place chicken skin-side down in a large, cold, ovenproof casserole or sauté pan. Turn heat to medium and allow the fat to slowly render. This should take around 10-15mins until the skin is deeply golden and crisp. Remove to a plate.
Meanwhile, prepare the veg: Dice onion & carrots, finely dice/slice garlic, and slice peppers into thick, short strips. Make the stock.
In the rendered chicken fat sauté the onion and carrot for 6–8 minutes until soft. Add a splash of olive oil if needed. Add garlic for the final minute.
Add the peppers, oregano and olives, then stir through the ‘nduja and cook for 2–3 minutes more.
Add the lentils and pour in about 850ml of the hot chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and taste for seasoning - adjust if needed.
Nestle the chicken on top, skin-side up and poking out above the sauce. Transfer to the oven and braise for around 40 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the lentils are tender. Check halfway through and top up with remaining stock if it needs it. (the lentils should always be submerged)
