Oven-baked chicken with sun-dried tomato pesto

Under R140 • Serves 4 • Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes • Oven temperature: 200 °C

• 4 chicken drumsticks and 4 thighs

• 30ml sun-dried tomato pesto

• 15ml olive oil

• 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

• 800g orange sweet potato, cubed

• 125ml chicken stock

• 250ml couscous

• juice of 1 lemon

• 30ml fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

1 Preheat the oven. Make a few incisions in each piece of chicken, through the skin to the bone, so that the flavours can infuse.

Mix the chicken with the pesto, olive oil, onion and sweet potato; spread this in a single layer in a deep ovenproof dish and season with salt and pepper. Add the stock, cover and bake for 30 minutes.

2 Remove the dish from the oven, remove the lid (or foil) and place under the grill for another 10–15 minutes until the chicken is golden-brown and the vegetables have slightly charred tips. Stir and turn the vegetables and chicken as needed.

3 Meanwhile, steam the couscous until cooked, then season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper. As soon as the chicken is done, mix the couscous with the juices in the oven dish, then sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately. >>