Seasonal beans and brined chicken with a sourdough glaze
These beans are incredibly versatile and can change guise according to the season. If you haven’t ever brined chicken before, you will love the way that it softens the meat, ensuring it is succulent even when eaten cold. The sourdough reduction is a great use of old bread and adds a wonderful depth of flavour to meats and to vegetables. I like Duchess Farms’ rapeseed oil and I use dried prairie fire chillies, which deliver a decent punch.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
For the chicken
For the seasonal beans
To serve
Preparation
Step 1
First make the glaze for the chicken. Soak the sourdough in 800ml water in a covered bowl at room temperature overnight. Strain the water into a saucepan (we feed the discarded bread to our chickens). Set this over a high heat and then boil for around 20-30 minutes, until you have 2tbsp syrupy liquid.
Step 2
Dissolve 30g fine sea salt in 1 litre cold water in an appropriately sized non-metallic container. Arrange the chicken breasts inside and leave to brine in the fridge for 8 hours, or overnight. Drain, then leave the chicken, skin-side up and covered with parchment, on a tray in the fridge for a couple of hours to dry off.
Step 3
Heat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/mark 6. Heat a large frying pan and add 2tbsp oil. Once hot, add the chicken to the pan, skin-side down. Fry until the skin achieves a golden colour, then turn and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan, transfer onto an oven tray and cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes, brushing the skin with the sourdough glaze halfway through, until cooked.
Step 4
For the seasonal beans, gently heat the rapeseed oil in a frying pan before adding the onions, celery, garlic and chillies. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and then add 1½tsp salt. Continue cooking until the onion and the celery are soft.
Step 5
Add the cannellini beans along with their liquid and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the kale and cook for 3 minutes. Then turn off the heat and add the parsley and lemon juice, and some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Give it a good stir, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Step 6
Serve the beans in bowls with the chicken breasts either whole or sliced. This is good to eat with a seasonal herb salad or a slaw.
