Braised chicken with sherry and green olives

Serves 6, prep and cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup (35g) raisins
• ¼ cup (60ml) dry Spanish sherry
• 1 medium bulb garlic, halved
• 1 medium (350g) leek, trimmed, sliced thinly
• 3 medium (360g) carrots, sliced
• 300g large green olives
• 1 cup (250ml) chicken stock
• 80g butter, softened
• 6 (1.5kg) chicken supremes (see Michele’s tip)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup (80g) blanched almonds, toasted, chopped coarsely
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• ½ cup (75g) pomegranate seeds

Method

1.  Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
2.  Put the raisins and sherry in a small bowl; stand for 10 minutes.
3.  Meanwhile, put the garlic, leek, carrot and olives in base of a large roasting pan. Pour over the stock; cover with foil. Roast for 20 minutes.
4. Drain the soaking juices into a jug and put the raisins and butter into a small food processor; season. Process until the raisins and butter are well combined.
5.  Make a little pocket under the skin of each of the chicken pieces and press the flavoured butter into the pockets.
6.  Remove the vegetables from the oven; discard foil and nestle the chicken, skin-side up, into the vegetables. Pour over the reserved sherry, drizzle with oil and season the chicken skin. Return to the oven for a further 30 minutes.
7.  Serve the chicken and vegetables scattered with the almonds, parsley and pomegranate seeds.

Michele's tip

Chicken supremes are breast fillets with the skin and the first section of wing bone attached. You will need to order them from a butcher or specialty poultry store. You can use chicken marylands, if you prefer.

Not suitable to freeze or microwave.