If you’re a fan of hot sauce, you’ll love this mighty chicken recipe. My two-step cooking method sees marinated chicken covered and baked until tender, which creates a beautiful natural gravy, then it’s back in the oven until golden and crisp.

Ingredients:

• 4 free-range chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
• 4 free-range chicken legs, skin on, bone in
• 4 free-range chicken wings, skin on, bone in
• 200 ml chili sauce, plus extra to taste
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 1 mixed bunch of fresh woody herbs , such as rosemary, thyme, sage, bay, oregano (30g)
• 30 g unsalted peanuts
• ½ a bunch of fresh chives (15g)

Slaw:

• 1 red onion
• 1 crunchy eating apple
• 1 carrot
• ¼ red cabbage
• ¼ white cabbage
• 1 mixed bunch of fresh soft herbs, such as mint, parsley, basil (30g)
• cider vinegar, plus extra for the gravy
• extra virgin olive oil

Method: (8 Steps)

• Place the chicken pieces in a large roasting tray and pour over the hot sauce. Halve and throw in the garlic bulb, then roughly tear in the herbs and add a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
• Toss well, making sure the sauce gets into all the nooks and crannies of the chicken. Cover tightly with a double layer of tin foil and pop in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight – the longer the better!
• Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Bake the chicken, covered, for 1 hour, then remove the foil and carefully drain any juices into a jug – this will be your gravy. Skim off any fat that has risen to the surface and spoon it back over the chicken. Return to the oven, uncovered, for a further hour, or until golden and gnarly, turning and basting with the reserved juices halfway through.
• To make the slaw, peel the onion and coarsely grate, along with the apple, carrot and cabbages onto a serving plate. Pick and finely chop the herbs, then scatter over the veg and season with a with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss with 2 tablespoons each of cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.
• Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and toast the peanuts until golden, tossing regularly. Tip into a pestle and mortar and pound until fine. Finely chop the chives.
• Remove the chicken to a serving platter to rest. Place the roasting tray on the hob over a medium heat. Add a good splash of cider vinegar and let it cook away for a couple of minutes, scraping up any sticky bits from the base and sides of the tray.
• Pour in the reserved chicken juices with 100ml of boiling water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes, or until thickened and reduced. Add an extra dollop of hot sauce to taste, then strain the gravy through a sieve into a warm jug.
• Scatter the crushed peanuts and chopped chives over the chicken and serve with the hot sauce gravy and rainbow slaw. Delicious served with baked sweet potatoes.