I’m delighted that it’s roasting tin season once again, and what better way to kick it off than with this chuck-it-in-the-oven sticky miso chilli chicken with squash and leeks? The sesame, miso, garlic and ginger marinade can go on the chicken ahead of time if you like (in which case, I’d include a squeeze of lime juice), but if you’re short on time, five minutes before cooking will do the trick. The vegetables cook under the chicken, in the manner of potatoes sitting under a rotisserie chicken, but with the added hit of flavour from the miso. Then, to make it really sing, there’s a punchy sesame, chilli and coriander dressing to finish.
Miso chilli chicken with roast squash and leeks
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min
Serves 2, with leftovers
30ml sesame oil
60g miso paste – red or white, either works
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated
5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
3 medium leeks, trimmed and cut into 2½cm-thick rounds
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, halved, deseeded and cut into 4cm chunks
1-1.2kg skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
For the dressing
1 tbsp soy sauce
30ml sesame oil
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lime
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely sliced (pith and seeds removed if you want less heat)
10g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Sea salt, to taste
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Mix the sesame oil, miso, garlic and ginger in a bowl, then use a heaped tablespoon of this mix to coat the leeks and squash in a large roasting tin. (The tin should be big enough that everything almost sits in one layer.)
Slash each chicken thigh a couple of times with a sharp knife, then put them on top of the vegetables. Spread the remaining miso mix on top of each piece of chicken, then bake for one hour, until the chicken is well browned and cooked through, and the vegetables soft.
When the tin has 10 minutes left in the oven, make the dressing. Whisk the soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice and zest, spring onions, chilli and coriander in a bowl, taste and add a little sea salt or more soy sauce, if required.
Drizzle the dressing all over the chicken and vegetables, and serve hot.
Eat twice
It’s never a bad idea to have half a tray of leftover roast chicken in the fridge, so even if cooking for two, I’d make the whole quantity and save the rest for epic next-day leftovers. My favourite thing to do is make a cracking peanut sauce-topped rice bowl: put Italian short-grain rice on to boil (half an hour), finely grate a carrot and a handful of fresh herbs (mint, coriander), then whisk 60g peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, cook’s choice), the zest and juice of one lime, 20ml soy sauce and a scant teaspoon of palm or dark brown sugar. Loosen with a tablespoon or so of water, until the mix is the texture of single cream, then taste and add a pinch more salt if needed – it should taste strong and punchy. (If your lime wasn’t particularly juicy, add more lime juice, too.) To serve, shred the leftover chicken (heat through with a tablespoon of water in a covered bowl for 40 seconds in the microwave), and reheat the leftover squash and leeks. Drain the rice well, dress with a tablespoon of oil, then divide between two bowls. Top with the chicken, the hot veg, and the carrot and herb mixture, then drizzle the peanut dressing all over the top. Finish with extra chopped peanuts and chilli, if you wish.