Like everything we do at Functional Self, our recipes have been designed to help you achieve your optimal state. The foods we eat impact our energy levels, mood and cognitive ability, as well as supporting a healthy gut microbiome. We wanted to create a recipe series that focuses on nutrient-dense real foods that will help you reach your highest level of health and vitality. Functional Self recipes are packed full of nourishing ingredients and will help to provide a clear path ahead for clean eating, regardless of your starting off point.   

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Lemony garlic and olive chicken thighs 

• Level: Easy 
• Time: 50 minutes  
• Makes: 4 servings 

This dish is perfect for summer dinners and equally lovely eaten cold for lunch the next day. The flavours work perfectly together. The chicken is succulent and the sauce is umami. This recipe uses bone-in chicken thighs however you could use boneless thighs, other cuts of chicken, or a whole chicken cut into pieces. Serve with cauliflower rice or vegetable fries, and salad leaves. 

Ingredients  

• Approximately 900g bone-in free-range / organic chicken thighs  
• Sea / Himalayan pink salt  
• Freshly ground black pepper  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (or ghee)  
• 1 medium onion, finely sliced  
• 500ml bone broth (or stock)  
• 8 garlic cloves peeled  
• 16 Green Olives (pitted)  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves 
• 1 unwaxed lemon cut into thick slices  
• Juice of 1 lemon 

Method 

1. Salt the chicken on both sides. Heat the oil in a large pan or casserole dish, add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes on each side (on low heat). Remove from the pan and set aside.  

2. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 5 minutes.    

3. Add the chicken back into the pan and then add the bone broth (or stock), lemon juice, lemon slices, garlic cloves, olives, salt, pepper and thyme.  

4. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down very low, cover the pot, and cook for 30 minutes. While the chicken cooks, make any accompaniments.  

5. Uncover the pot and cook for a few minutes longer in order to reduce the sauce until it’s a nice gravy-like consistency.  

6. Serve the chicken with accompaniments of choice, making sure you include some of the delicious sauce.   

Enjoy!