Recipe > Mains
Roast Chicken with a Caper and Prune Sauce
The gorgeous, moreish flavours of this sweet and savoury sauce perfectly combine with the aromas of the roast chicken. Truly British cuisine at its very best.

This sauce really is an odd sort of magic. Taste it at the beginning and it tastes too sour, too astringent. Taste it a little later and it still doesn't quite work...but then as the liquids evaporate and the flavours begin to combine this sauce suddenly comes to life and all of a sudden you won't be able to leave it alone.

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 x chicken breasts or legs
1 Tblsp olive oil
Sea salt and cracked black pepper

For the caper and prune sauce:
1 Tblsp olive oil
2 red onions
225g / 8oz prunes (stones removed)
85g / 3oz capers
4 Tblsp brown sugar
110ml / 4fl oz balsamic vinegar
3 Tblsp water

Mise-en-Place:
Preheat the oven to gas mark 5 / 190°C / 375°F
Roughly chop the onions and the prunes
Weigh the remaining ingredients

Method:
Roast the chicken:
Place the chicken in a roasting tray
Rub the skin with the olive oil
Season with a little sea salt and cracked black pepper
Roast for 25-30 minutes
To test if the chicken is cooked; cut a slit through the thickest part of the breast, if the flesh is white and the juices run clear it is cooked. If the flesh is still translucent and pink return to the oven.
Keep warm

Make the sauce:
In a wok or frying pan over a medium to high heat:
Heat the oil
Add the red onions. Cook until golden-brown
Add all the remaining ingredients
Bring the sauce to the boil, then reduce to a simmer
Cook for 5-10 minutes
Check the seasoning of the sauce
To serve pour the sauce over the roast chicken

Adjust: The sauce should be a perfect blend; smooth with no harsh aromas.
Too sour or bitter: Cook for longer, as the water evaporates the vinegar will become sweeter
Too thin: Boil quickly to reduce the volume of the liquid
Too sweet: Add more capers

Presentation:
If serving the chicken with vegetables:
Arrange the vegetables in the centre of the plate
Cut the chicken in half
Place the halves on top of the vegetables
Use a spoon to gently pour over the sauce

Chef Tip: Capers make a wonderful garnish. Simply deep fry at a high heat for 10-20 seconds, drain on kitchen towel and lightly dust with table salt. The capers will 'blossom' open and become wonderfully crunchy yet still maintain their 'tangy' taste.