My most requested recipe

This viral lemon and anchovy roast chicken dish is the gift that keeps on giving

Today I want to talk about the dish that might just be the most popular recipe I’ve ever shared. This is the recipe that I get asked for more than any other recipe I’ve posted: the one and only lemon and anchovy chicken.

And while I have shared this recipe in a recap email before, I realise that it’s never had its own dedicated issue. So here it is. If you’ve seen this before, consider this email/Substack post a single, easy place to reference it.

And if you haven’t seen it before, behold the most requested recipe I’ve ever developed.

This is an absolute knockout dish. It went a little viral on Instagram, and for very good reason. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this is one of those dishes that I know I will be cooking and serving for the rest of my life. Not just because it is so superbly delicious, but because it’s really, really easy to pull together with zero compromise on flavour.

Honestly guys, it’s stunning, which is why I’m so excited to break down the recipe and method below, and offer some hosting and serving guidance too.

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The philosophy: The absolute magic of pan gravy

Something truly magical happens in the oven tray with this dish. The alchemy starts when the anchovy marinade, a strong, salty, savoury blitz of anchovies, garlic, Dijon, and a lotta lemon, totally melts under the heat. It combines with the rendering chicken fat and begins to caramelise on the pan.

Then comes the masterstroke: the potatoes and shallots are left to swim in a generous amount of dry white wine. As everything roasts, the wine reduces, the chicken fat renders, and the marinade dissolves. What you’re left with is a rich, lemony, winey, salty gravy that is on another level.

The potatoes are a key player here too. They just drink up all that magnificent liquid, making them soft and delicious on the inside, while the tops still get a little crunchy on the outside.

The final flourish is a fresh and zesty green parsley sauce. This is not optional. It seeps into that glorious gravy, cutting through the richness and making the whole thing even more delicious, if that’s even possible.

Damn, this dish is good.

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Lemon and anchovy roast chicken with a fresh parsley sauce

This is a true one-pan wonder. The marinade can be made hours ahead of time and you could also marinade the chicken the day before. Remember to take the chicken out of the fridge at least an hour before cooking to help it cook evenly.

INGREDIENTS, serves 4

For the chicken and potatoes

• A mix of skin-on chicken legs and thighs, around 1 to 2 pieces per person

• 600g to 800g baby or regular potatoes, sliced into long, thin wedges (skin on)

• 6 to 8 banana shallots, peeled and halved lengthways

• 375ml (1.5 cups) dry white wine (like a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Sea salt flakes

For the marinade

• 1 to 2 x 50g can of anchovies in olive oil (use the oil too)

• Juice of 1 to 2 lemons

• 1 big dollop of Dijon mustard

• 3 garlic cloves, peeled

• Lots of freshly cracked black pepper

• A generous drizzle of olive oil

For the green sauce, roughly

• 1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, stems included

• 60ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil

• Juice of 1 lemon

• A pinch of red chilli flakes (optional)

• A big pinch of flaky sea salt

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

2. Make the marinade. In a small blender or food processor, combine all the marinade ingredients: the entire can of anchovies, juice of one lemon, mustard, garlic, pepper, and olive oil. Blitz until it forms a thick, emulsified sauce. Taste it. It should be intensely salty and lemony. Add more lemon juice if needed.

3. Prep the chicken and tray. Lay the potatoes and shallots on a large baking tray. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season well with salt. Toss to coat. Take the chicken out of the fridge (if you haven't already) and pat it dry. Using your hands, smear the anchovy marinade all over each piece, getting it under the skin where you can.

4. Arrange and roast. Place the marinated chicken pieces on top of the potatoes and shallots. Pour the white wine all around the base of the tray. Place in the hot oven and roast for 50 minutes to an hour. The chicken should be deeply golden and cooked through, and the potatoes should be tender. If you want to brown the potatoes a little further, you can remove the chicken to a plate to rest and pop the tray under the grill for a few minutes, but this is totally optional.

5. Make the green sauce. While the chicken is roasting, make the green sauce. Simply blitz the parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, chilli flakes (if using), and salt in your blender until it forms a drizzly, bright green sauce. If it’s too thick, add a little more olive oil or lemon juice to loosen it.

6. Serve. Plate everything up onto a large platter, making sure to scrape up every last drop of the incredible gravy from the tray and pour it all over. Drizzle the green sauce over the chicken and potatoes and serve immediately.

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Bonus: Some hosting and serving guidance

This dish is my go to for a reason. It is quite simply the perfect dish for a dinner party (or a fun Sunday lunch) because it requires very little active cooking time. You can make both the marinade and the green sauce in the morning and keep them in the fridge. You can even marinate the chicken ahead of time. Once it’s in the oven, you are free for the better part of an hour.

Serve it family style, on a big platter. If you’re in the UK, I like these stainless Olympia ones from Nisbets. I usually just serve a simple, leafy green salad alongside it, as the chicken and potatoes are a complete meal. The most important thing is to have some crusty bread on hand for mopping up that to die for gravy.

A final note: the marinade is incredibly versatile. You can totally use it on fish before grilling, or you can thin it out with more olive oil and lemon juice to make an absolutely amazing salad dressing. If you remove the mustard and add some grated parmesan, it also makes a seriously good pasta sauce.