Flame grilled capsicum and delicious cheeses garnish this baked chicken dish with sliced potatoes. Twice baking the chicken crisps up the skin on both sides while keeping it juicy and succulent inside. Nestled underneath, the potatoes soak up all of the juices and flavors from the chicken. The flame grilled capsicum adds a sweet and smoky touch to the dish.
Here are the steps: marinate the chicken, part bake the potatoes, flame grill the capsicum while the potatoes are baking. Next bake one side of the chicken. Turn it over and bake a second time and finally garnish with cheese and capsicum and melt in the oven.
Notes on this dish:
Use chicken with the skin and bone to give the maximum flavour. Score them on both sides to make sure the marinade goes right into the meat. Make the slits quite deep.
Do chop the garlic and shallots quite finely to make sure that the blend is really smooth without any lumps. Adjust salt and some of the flavours of the marinade as you prefer. You want the marinade to be a little bit overpowering which will mellow out when it cooks.
As you bake the chicken, its fat and juices will drizzle over the potatoes. Once the fat renders off both sides, the skin becomes thin and crispy when cooked in this manner.
There is no need for stock to cook the potatoes since enough fluid is released from the thigh pieces. Do keep the skin on the potatoes as this helps it retain its shape though the process.
When you grill the capsicum on the flame, get as close to the flame as possible and leave each side exposed to the flame to char it. You can do two at a time.
I’ve used leicester and cheddar to garnish the chicken dish. You can use a cheese of your choice.
Twice Baked Chicken
Description
Twice baked chicken with sliced potatoes and flame grilled capsicum on spicy tomato sauce topped with cheddar and red leicester cheeses. Twice baking the chicken crisps up the skin on both sides while keeping it juicy and succulent inside. The potatoes underneath soak up all of the juices and flavors from the chicken and the flame grilled capsicum adds a sweet and smoky touch to the dish
To make this dish:
Chicken Preparation
Potato preparation
Grilled capsicum
Garnish
Instructions
Marinate chicken
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Wash and drain chicken and make 3-4 slashes on each thigh. Make the slashes deep to absorb the marinade.
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Chop and pound garlic and shallots to ensure a smooth paste.
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Combine all the ingredients (except mixed herbs) and grind to a smooth paste.
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Pour the marinade over the chicken and massage well into the meat.
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Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes while getting the potatoes ready.
Prepare potatoes
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Pre-heat the oven to 180C
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Thinly slice the potatoes (about 1/2 cm thick) with skin on. The skin helps retain the shape of the potato slices.
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Rub with salt and groundnut oil.
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Spread on a baking tray and bake for 15 min. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Maintain the temperature of the oven at 180C
1st & 2nd bake of chicken
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Layer the cooled potatoes in a baking dish.
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Roll the marinated chicken thighs tucking the ends in, and line them on top of the potatoes.
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Bake the chicken and potatoes in the oven for 30 minutes.
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After 30 min, remove from the oven and let cool for 5 min. The chicken skin should have a brown colouring.
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Lift the thighs, turn it over and place back on the potatoes, brown side down.
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Bake in the oven for another 30 min at the same temperature.
Grill capsicum
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While the chicken is baking, prepare capsicum.
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Insert a skewer into the centre of each capsicum and grill on an open flame on the stove until all sides are charred. This should take about 3 minutes per capsicum.
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Let it cool, then slice down the middle and remove the core and seeds.
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Slice lengthwise to 1 inch thickness.
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Mix the seasonings and rub over the capsicum slices and set aside.
Garnish
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Remove the chicken dish from the oven after a total baking time of 60min. The skin should be a crisp brown colour. All of the fat and juices will have trickled down to the potatoes cooking it completely.
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Grate both cheeses over the chicken.
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Arrange the sliced capsicum over the chicken in a checkered pattern and grate the rest of the cheeses.
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Bake for another 10 min, until the cheeses have melted.
To serve
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Place the chicken thighs along with the potatoes and capsicum on a dish. Pour over all of the juices. Serve with a side of spicy tomato sauce.
