Roast Chicken Panzanella Salad

SERVES 4
TAKES 2 hours

Traditionally a dish made by farmers and peasants when they needed to make the most of their available ingredients. The salad was created out of necessity to avoid wasting food. As thrifty as it is delicious, we have elevated this humble salad to include our incredible 100 Day Botterills’ Chickens. The strong flavours of the meat pair perfectly with the acidity from the tomatoes, onions and zingy basil, caper dressing. A delightful dish for eating al fresco, with a chilled glass of chardonnay of course.

1. Remove your chicken from the fridge 2 hours before you want to cook. Pre heat your oven to 180C fan.
2. Rub the chicken with 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp salt and the smoked paprika, ensuring all the chicken is covered well. Place in the oven and roast for 1 hour 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 74C. Remove from the oven, cover well and allow to rest for 45 minutes whilst you prepare the salad.
3. Turn the oven to 200C and place the sourdough chunks on a lined baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil, tossing the chucks to ensure they are coated well. Place in the oven for 15 minutes until crunchy and golden. Remove and set aside to cool.
4. Place all the ingredients for the basil caper dressing into a blender or use a hand held and blitz until you have a thick green sauce. Adjust the seasoning to your taste at this stage. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
5. In a large serving bowl add the red onions and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and toss to coat, this will help sweeten them slightly, taking away the acrid taste. After 5 minutes add in the tomatoes and toss again, the salt will help bring the flavour out of the tomatoes.
6. Tear up the mozzarella and add to the bowl, along with the olives, basil leaves, rocket and croutons. Drizzle over a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil and pour over the red wine vinegar, tumble everything together and allow to sit whilst you carve up your chicken.
7. Drizzle some of the basil caper dressing over the chicken pieces and serve together with the salad. Enjoy!

• 2kg 100 day Botterills’ chicken
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Olive oil
• 200g sourdough, torn into small chunks
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• Generous handful of black olives
• 4 beef tomatoes, sliced into disks
• 2 balls of mozzarella
• 100g rocket leaves
• Handful of basil leaves
• Salt, for seasoning
• Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

For the basil, caper dressing:

• 2 tbsp capers
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 60g basil, roughly torn
• 5 tbsp olive oil