Roast chicken with herbs is an easy dish to make that is a sure-fire winter winner. Lee Hoagland / The National
Roast chicken with herbs is an easy dish to make that is a sure-fire winter winner. Lee Hoagland / The National

Marco Pierre White: Pot roast chicken with herbs



I know I often rave about the importance of herbs, but I am going to do so again. This dish, you see, is all about the herbs. They make it, lending flavour, aroma and zest. Herbs are not difficult to get hold of; you can even grow your own herb garden, so you have no excuse.

I adore this dish; it reminds me of rural France, of long lunches around a large table under a tree, with kids running around as the adults put the world to rights. It is so comforting that no one can fail to be charmed by it. It is the dish that I'm sure inspired Henry IV of France to declare: "If God keeps me, I will make sure that there is no working man in my kingdom who does not have the means to have a chicken in the pot every Sunday!" Now that's civilised.

This recipe could not be easier. I kid you not when I say it takes 10 minutes to prepare. I even cheat sometimes and don't separate the chicken into pieces. I just bung it in whole, make sure it is brown on all sides and then carry on. I might even throw in some carrots and celery 20 minutes before it's ready. And never waste the chicken remains; they will make the basis of a fabulous soup the next day.

As I always say, do go for the best-quality bird you can. I know they don't come cheap, around Dh100 for a proper free-range one, but with chicken (as with staff), you get what you pay for. For this dish to work, you need a proper old-fashioned chicken taste that warms your heart and makes your soul sing.

On that rather poetic note I will leave you for 2011. It's been a great fun year, I hope you're enjoyed it as much as I have, and see you in 2012.

Pot roast chicken with herbs

Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2kg chicken in 8 pieces, bone on
200ml extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
500g onion (about one large), diced
1 sprig of thyme
3 sprigs of rosemary
2 bay leaves
200ml chicken stock
500ml chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Wash and pat the chicken dry. Trim off any excess fat, keeping the skin on.

2. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the extra virgin olive oil and cook the garlic and onions until soft.

3. Add the chicken, skin side down, and brown on both sides. Add the herbs and 200ml of chicken stock and bring to the boil.

4. Add 500ml chicken stock and let simmer.

5. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat and cook for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally so that the chicken remains moist.

6. Remove the herbs. Serve with the pan juices and some crusty bread.

Serves 4

This dish is offered at Frankie's Restaurant & Bar, which features Friday Brunch alongside CuiScene restaurant. Call 02 654 3238 or e-mail dining.bab@fairmont.com

'Saand Ki Aankh'

Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

MATCH INFO

Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')

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Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas

Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa

Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong

Rating: 3/5

Details

Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny

Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

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