Roast chicken with peaches, honey and lavender recipe

Summer is almost here, which means it’s time to start preparing for long gatherings with family and friends. And the best way to bring your loved ones closer, is by sharing a delicious meal paired with Boland Cellar wine. So bring out the One Formation Chenin Blanc/Sauvignon Blanc/ Grenache Blanc blend for this classic roast chicken recipe with a twist: we introduce to you, (drum roll please) the Roast Chicken with Peaches, Honey and Lavender Recipe

This mouth-watering dish of roasted chicken joints and honey-glazed peaches takes very little effort and makes a perfect food and wine pairing with the One Formation One Formation Chenin Blanc/Sauvignon Blanc/ Grenache Blanc blend

SERVES 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

• 8kg chicken, skin-on, jointed into eight, or eight good-sized skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 200ml medium white wine
• 3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 4 tbsp lavender honey (support proudly South African companies by purchasing your lavender honey from Mel’s Honey Infusions: https://bit.ly/2qcJsZf
• 5 small, slightly under-ripe peaches
• 8 sprigs of fresh lavender

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5.
• Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a frying-pan, season the chicken pieces and, in batches, brown them on each side so they get a good colour. Put them into a broad, shallow ovenproof dish large enough to hold the chicken and peaches snugly together in a single layer.
• Pour the oil out of the pan then return it to the heat and deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping to dislodge all the bits of flavour. Boil until it has reduced to about 100ml, then add one and a half tablespoons each of the balsamic and honey, stirring to dissolve. Pour over the chicken.
• Halve and pit the peaches and cut each half in two. Dot these around the chicken and season. Brush each piece of peach with a little olive oil, then whisk the remaining honey and balsamic together with a fork. Drizzle over the chicken and peaches and scatter with the lavender (leave some sprigs of lavender whole, use only the flowers from others).
• Roast for 40 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through and glazed with the honey, and the peaches should be slightly caramelised in patches. If you stick the tip of a sharp knife into the underside of a thigh, the juice that runs out should be clear.
• Serve in the dish in which the chicken has cooked (you can transfer it all to a warmed platter if you prefer but be careful as the peaches will be soft and could easily fall apart). Serve with olive-oil-roast potatoes, greens beans or other vegetables and pair with Boland Cellar One Formation One Formation Chenin Blanc/Sauvignon Blanc/ Grenache Blanc blend.

The recipe is written by Diana Henry, sourced from the Telegraph online: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/chicken-recipes/11432906/Roast-chicken-with-peaches-honey-and-lavender-recipe.html