A classic summer dish - Chicken with Feta cheese, dill, lemon & harissa yogurt

This dish is made with chicken thighs, one of my favourite ingredients. I think many people over look chicken thighs in favour of chicken breasts which are not as succulent. It is hard to over cook chicken thighs - and the added bonus, there is no carving or faffing! We had lots of discussions about faffing over the summer - my family and extended family in Ireland love nothing more then faffing about in boats - well some more than others! We were lucky to escape to Ireland for 6 weeks this summer, and spent real quality time with my dad and my three siblings as well as all the in-laws and out-laws it was a real escape from it all. I am one of those who loves faffing on boats and even enjoys watching people faff on boats, but when it comes to cooking I do love a short cut; with a busy family short cuts are a necessity as long as you hold onto the integrity of the dish! Cooking takes effort but this one is easy to achieve. And a brilliant one for when you have spent the day faffing around on boats as it is quick easy and really delicious.  

Ingredients - serves 4

450g small waxy potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
2 red onions, halved and cut into wedges
1 head of garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
8 good-sized skin-on bone-in chicken thighs, excess skin neatly trimmed
Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon, plus juice of ½ lemon
75–100g feta cheese, crumbled
10g dill leaves, torn
250g Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon harissa

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C fan (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Put the potatoes, onions, garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of the oil, salt and pepper into a 30cm (12in) wide shallow casserole or ovenproof sauté pan.
2. Toss everything around with your hands. Put the chicken thighs on top, skin side up. Brush the remaining oil on the chicken and season it.
3. Roast for 40–45 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and the potatoes tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
4. Squeeze the lemon juice over, then scatter on the zest, feta and dill. Put the yogurt into a bowl and spoon the harissa on top. Serve the chicken with the harissa yogurt on the side.