Recipe — Allan’s Chicken on Toast with braised Romano Beans
Chicken on toast may sound unusual but really, it’s Allan’s take on the rustic French dish, poulet aux croûtons. In this recipe, a thick doorstop of toasted sourdough is the ultimate vessel for roast chicken. The bread soaks up all of the pan juices, turning the humble piece of toast into something deeply satisfying.
Best served with vegetables braised with plenty of garlic, olive oil and fresh herbs, it’s a dish that changes and evolves through the seasons. Whether it’s Catalan-style broad beans, hearty winter greens or (as below) Romano beans with ripe summer tomatoes, it’s a lovely centrepiece for the family table.
Ingredients
Two tablespoons olive oil
One chicken butterflied, halved and ideally brined (please see note below)
Two 2cm thick slices of sourdough bread
Half a bunch of parsley, chopped
½ a lemon
For the braised Romano beans
150ml extra virgin olive oil
Five cloves of garlic, sliced
Two shallots, sliced
Pinch of chilli flakes
Pinch of whole fennel seeds
Six ripe tomatoes, diced
500g runner beans cut into 3 cm pieces
500ml chicken stock
A sprig of rosemary
Two tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Two tablespoons of chopped dill
Salt and black pepper to season
Toum
Note - shop bought is also fine. We love Tom Sarafian’s.
75g garlic, peeled
75ml lemon juice
400ml vegetable oil
A large pinch sea salt
Serves four, generously
Method
For the Roman beans
First, prepare the braised beans. Warm the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, then add the garlic, shallots, chilli flakes and fennel seeds. Fry for a minute or two until fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes, stir and cook for a few minutes until they begin to break down. Add the sliced runner beans, chicken stock and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper and stir well. Cook over medium heat for 45 minutes until the beans are soft. Remove from the heat, add the vinegar, dill, salt to taste and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
For the Toum
To make the toum, add the garlic cloves and half of the lemon juice to a small blender and mix until a fine paste is formed. Slowly stream in the oil to emulsify and thicken. Add the remaining lemon juice and season with salt.
For the chicken
Remove the chicken from the fridge while the oven is preheating to 200C.
In a large oven-proof frying pan, add the olive oil and warm over medium heat. Place both chicken halves skin side down, using a weight to ensure the skin evenly caramelises and is crisp for about 10 minutes. Turn the chicken over and allow to brown on the other side, then place it into the oven for around 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 75C.
While the chicken roasts, grill the two pieces of sourdough until charred in a cast iron pan. Gently warm the beans until ready to serve. When the chicken is ready, place the toasted bread onto a serving dish. Dollop a generous spoonful of toum onto each slice and spread evenly.
Pour any resting juices from the chicken onto the toast and then place the chicken pieces onto the toast. Spoon over the warmed Roman beans and any extra sauce generously across the plate. Some fresh chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice are a great way to finish the dish for extra lift.
Note - Brining the chicken
This step is not essential but will ensure the chicken is incredibly juicy. Start this step a day before you’d like to serve the chicken.
750ml water
30g fine salt
150g brown sugar
1 lemon, cut in half
2 sprigs of fresh sage
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 fresh bay leaves
1 tablespoon of black peppercorns
To make the brine, bring the water to a simmer, add the salt and sugar to the boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir to dissolve. Add the remaining ingredients then cool the brine in the fridge.
Place the chicken pieces into the brine and leave for a minimum of 6 hours in the fridge.
Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse with cold water and pat dry.
