CHAR-GRILLED CHICKEN with CAVOLO NERO AND POTATOES

I love food like this it is simple to prepare, quick to cook and refreshingly light and zesty to eat! I have a habit of buying whole free-range chickens when i see them on special and then i do my cheffy thing; remove the breasts, legs and thighs and make a stock out of the carcuss to use for soup or risotto.  It is such a economical way to buy chickens as you get so many dishes from one chicken (Actually i will be doing hands on lessons at the next Food Club)!
I have used Cavolo Nero (black cabbage) in this recipe but if you don't have any simply substitute it with silverbeet, kale, savoy cabbage or spinach. 





CHAR-GRILLED CHICKEN with CAVOLO NERO
serves 4

3-4 free range chicken breasts
4 cloves garlic
4 sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme
3 lemons
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 kg potatoes, waxy variety Van Rosa, Charlotte, washed and cut into wedges
1 bunch cavolo nero, washed, removed from stalks and roughly cut
75 ml white wine (optional)
1 leek, washed and sliced

METHOD
Crush two cloves of garlic and place in a dish along with a generous glug of oil.  Grate in zest of one lemon, and juice remove the leaves of the rosemary or thyme and sprinkle them in the along with the stalks.  Season with pepper, give all the ingredients a stir and set aside until you prepare your chicken.

chicken in marinade

To prepare the chicken breasts; lay a sheet of plastic-wrap out on you chopping board, place on chicken breast on it and cover with another piece of plastic-wrap.  Gently batter out the breast so it is even all over (if you don't have a mallet use a rolling pin or something similar). Place the chicken breast in the marinade and chill until required.

Heat a heavy based pan up to hot and add a generous glug of olive oil, add the sliced leek, garlic cloves and a couple of sprigs of rosemary cook for a few minutes without colouring.  Add the potatoes and get them all coated in the oil and leeks, cook the potatoes so they get a little colour  (10 minutes). Roughly chop the cavolo nero and add to the potatoes, stir to combine add the wine and chicken stock put the lid on and cook gently until the potatoes and cavolo nero are tender about 10-15 minutes.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.  You are wanting most of the liquid to be absorbed into the potatoes but you also wanting a little of the liquid to serve. Turn down the heat.


Meanwhile heat a heavy-based frypan or griddle pan up to very hot.  Place the chicken directly onto the hot surface of the pan, do not overcrowd the pan.  Season with salt and pepper, turn after 4 minutes, cook on the other side.  Squeeze over a little fresh lemon juice and remove to a warm plate and continue cooking the remaining chicken.
I like to serve the potatoes and cavolo nero on a warm plate, place the chicken on top and drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil a sprinkle of sea salt flakes and a generous wedge of lemon.