A Middle Eastern Inspired Roast Chicken

I think we can all agree, a good roast chicken for dinner is hard to beat! This time let's step outside the box and jazz it up a little with some exotic flavours...

450g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled, cut into six lengthways (1.5 cm-thick wedges)
45ml lemon juice
8 chicken thighs, on the bone with skin on, or a medium whole chicken, divided into four
12 shallots, peeled, halved lengthways
12 large garlic cloves, sliced
1 medium lemon, cut in half lengthways and then into very thin slices
1tsp saffron threads
50ml olive oil
150ml cold water
1tbsp pink peppercorns, slightly crushed
10 fresh thyme leaves
40 tarragon leaves, chopped
2tsp salt - to taste
1½ black pepper - to taste

Marinating Time 2 hours or overnight

Put the Jerusalem artichokes in a medium saucepan, cover with plenty of water and add half the lemon juice. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10–20 minutes, until tender but not soft. Drain and leave to cool.
Place the Jerusalem artichokes and all the remaining ingredients, excluding the remaining lemon juice and half of the tarragon, in a large mixing bowl and use your hands to mix everything together well. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight, or for at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 240°C.
Arrange the chicken pieces, skin-side up, in the centre of a roasting tin and spread the remaining ingredients around the chicken. Roast for 30 minutes. Cover the tin with foil and cook for a further 15 minutes. At this point, the chicken should be completely cooked.
Remove from the oven and add the reserved tarragon and lemon juice. Stir well, taste and add more salt if needed. Serve at once.

Recipe Credit: SBS food.