- 40g honey
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 4 garlic cloves
- 4 chicken legs
- 1 onion
- 2 celery sticks
- 2 carrots
- A handful of rosemary, leaves only
- 300g dark speckled lentils
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 500g parsnips
- A large handful of flat leaf parsley
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt & freshy ground pepper
- 600ml hot water
- Vegetable peeler
- Large roasting tin or shallow casserole dish with lid
- Measuring jug
- 1.
Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Fill and boil your kettle. Mix the honey and 1 tbsp mustard together in a large bowl. Peel and finely grate or crush 2 garlic cloves and add them to the bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil with some salt and pepper and stir well. Add the chicken legs and turn to coat them. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the rest of the dish (see our tip on getting ahead).
- 2.
Fill and boil your kettle. Peel and finely chop the onion. Trim, peel and finely chop the carrots and finely slice the celery. Peel and thinly slice the other 2 garlic cloves. Finely chop the rosemary leaves.
- 3.
Tumble the veg, garlic and rosemary into a large roasting tin or shallow casserole dish. Tip in the lentils and crumble in the stock cube. Pour in 600ml hot water from the kettle and 2 tbsp olive oil. Stir in a large pinch of salt and pepper.
- 4.
Place the chicken on top of the lentils, keeping any remaining marinade in the bowl for later. Cover the tin or dish with a lid or a double layer of foil and slide into the oven for 30 mins.
- 5.
Meanwhile, trim and peel the parsnips then cut them into 1-2cm-thick lengths. Finely chop the parsley leaves and stalks.
- 6.
When the chicken and lentils have cooked for 30 mins, remove the tin from the oven and remove the lid or foil. Arrange the parsnips around the chicken, then pour over the reserved marinade. Slide the tin back into the oven, without the lid, for 30 mins till the chicken is cooked through (if you slice into a leg there should be no pink), the lentils are tender and the parsnips are roasted.
- 7.
Lift the chicken and parsnips out of the tin. Stir 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar through the lentils with half the flat leaf parsley. Taste the lentils and add more salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Serve the lentils with the chicken and parsnips, garnished with the remaining parsley.
- Tip
Room for 2?
For this dish, it doesn't matter that the ingredients are in more than one layer. However if your dish is particularly small, you may want to cook the lentils on their own, covered for 45 mins and roast the chicken with the parsnips on a separate baking tray for 40 mins, uncovered. - Tip
Eat me keep me
The chicken and lentils will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months. Take the chicken off the bone, shred it and stir it into the lentils and veg. Divide into tubs, seal and freeze. Defrost overnight and reheat till piping hot, adding a splash of stock or water if necessary. - Tip
Get Ahead
You can marinate the chicken legs the night before you want to roast them. Make the marinade, lay the chicken legs in it and turn to coat, then cover and chill in the fridge. Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 mins-1 hr before you want to cook the dish so they come back up to room temperature before you roast them.
