Ginger-beer roast chicken with scorched pineapple

Prep time: 30 minutes, plus marinating time Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves 6

This dish has a bit more to it than the average roasting-tin dinner – but it’s worth the effort.

INGREDIENTS

– 12 large chicken thighs (the size varies a lot, so check you’re buying large ones)

– 2 red onions, cut into wedges 1cm thick

– 4 peppers, a mixture of colours, deseeded and cut into strips 1½cm wide

– 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing

– 800g ripe pineapple

– wedges of lime, for squeezing

– coriander, roughly chopped, to serve

– seasoned avocado slices, tossed with lime juice, to serve

For the marinade

– 2 tbsp chipotle paste – 2 tbsp tomato ketchup

– 40g fresh ginger, peeled and grated to a purée

– 3 garlic cloves, grated to a purée

– 2 tsp allspice – 400ml ginger beer

For the glaze

– 3 tbsp honey

– 1 tbsp cider vinegar

– 2½ tbsp chipotle paste

– 3 tbsp ginger beer

– 20g fresh ginger, peeled and grated to a purée

– 3 garlic cloves, grated

to a purée

METHOD

Trim the chicken thighs of any excess skin (I use kitchen scissors). Pierce the flesh side of each 4-5 times with a small sharp knife so the marinade can get right in.

Use a big bowl for the marinade. Mix together everything for it except the ginger beer, then gradually add the ginger beer, stirring all the time. Add the chicken thighs to the bowl, submerging them. Cover with cling film and put in the fridge to marinate for three hours, though you can also leave them overnight. Turn the thighs a few times while they’re in the marinade.

Make the glaze by stirring everything together in a bowl.

When you want to cook the chicken, heat the oven to 210C/200C fan/gas mark 6½.

Put the onion and peppers in a really large roasting tin (mine is

42 x 30cm – or you can use two smaller ones). Add some seasoning and the oil. Toss together with your hands.

Lift the chicken thighs out of the marinade and dry them with kitchen paper. Put them on top of the vegetables, skin-side up, brush them with olive oil and season. Roast for 20 minutes.

Cut the pineapple horizontally into slices about 1.5cm thick. Cut the skin off each slice then quarter them; remove the hard piece in the centre of each.

Take the roasting tin out of the oven and tuck the pineapple in among the chicken. Spoon the glaze on to the chicken skin and the pineapple. Roast for 20-25 minutes more. The chicken should be golden brown, the pineapple scorched.

Transfer to a shallow serving dish that can hold all the juices as well, or serve from the tin. Squeeze some lime over the top. Scatter on the coriander and more lime wedges.

This needs a simple accompaniment – rice, quinoa or warm tortillas – but I serve slices of avocado as well.