Diana Henry’s Mexican chicken and pumpkin with pepita pesto

Method

1. Put the chicken in a shallow glass or ceramic dish. Mix together the sugar, thyme, oregano, spices, 4 tbsp of the olive oil, both the citrus juices and some salt and pepper, then pour this marinade over the chicken. Turn the chicken pieces to coat well, then cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours. Bring it to room temperature before you cook it.
2. For the pesto, put the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan and put over a medium heat. Stir for a couple of minutes, or until they turn a shade darker and smell a little toasted (this method also works for spice, seeds and nuts). Put in a food processor with all the other pesto ingredients except the chilli. Blend to a rough purée. Scrape into a bowl, stir in the chilli and set the pesto aside until you want to use it.
3. When ready to cook, heat the oven to 180C/fan160C/gas 4. Transfer the chicken, skin-side up, to a roasting tin or a large, shallow ovenproof dish – it should fit quite snugly. Dot the pumpkin wedges around the chicken. Brush the pumpkin with the remaining 2 tbsp oil and season. Put into the hot oven and roast for 40 minutes, basting every so often.
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4. Check the chicken is cooked: if you stick the tip of a sharp knife into the underside of a thick joint, the juice that runs out should be clear with no trace of pink. Serve with some pesto spooned over (offer the rest on the side). Scatter with crumbled feta (see my recipe introduction) and extra coriander sprigs and chopped chilli, if you like.

Recipe from Diana Henry’s A Bird in the Hand.