Georgina Hayden’s quick and easy recipe for crispy chicken, plums and star anise

This fantastic weeknight recipe is inspired by crispy hoisin duck pancakes, which is why I have left the serving suggestion open. The chicken would happily sit alongside fragrant jasmine rice and steamed greens for a balanced meal. Equally, you could shred the crisp meat off the bone and serve it with a stack of pancakes, the plum sauce and some finely sliced cucumber and spring onion on the side. Either way, it’s a great, family-friendly dish.
Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 44 chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in2 tsp Chinese five spice
Sea salt and black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 plums – make sure they’re not too ripe4cm piece ginger, peeled and finely sliced4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed2 star anise
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
Heat the oven to 230C (210C fan)/450F/gas 8. Slash the skin and flesh of each chicken thigh a few times – this will help them cook quicker – then season generously with the five spice, salt and pepper. Drizzle the oil into a large, ovenproof pan, lay in the chicken skin side down, then put the pan on a medium-high heat and fry the chicken for 15 minutes, turning once halfway, until the skin is golden and starting to crisp up.
While the chicken is frying, halve and stone the plums, then cut each half in half again. When the chicken has had 15 minutes, pop the crushed garlic, sliced ginger and star anise into the pan, nestling them under the thighs. Take the pan off the heat, then arrange the plum quarters around the chicken. Pour the soy sauce and a few tablespoons of water on to the base of the pan, then drizzle the honey all over the chicken.
Transfer the pan to the hot oven and roast for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and sticky.