Pan Roasted Chicken with Butternut Pumpkin Panzanella

Prepare Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 200°C. Wash the fresh produce. Pat dry chicken with paper towel. Peel shallot and thinly slice. Finely chop parsley leaves, discarding stems. Peel onion and thinly slice. Cut ciabatta into 2 cm cubes. Medium dice pumpkin into 1½ cm pieces, discarding skin.

Roast Butternut Pumpkin:

Line in a baking tray with baking paper. Place the pumpkin in a single layer on the tray and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Toss to combine. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together shallot, red wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons olive oil to make a vinaigrette. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Pan Roast Chicken:

Heat olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. When oil is shimmering, add chicken skin-side down and cook until skin is golden and easily lifts off pan, about 6 minutes.

Bake Croutons:

While chicken cooks, on a baking tray, toss ciabatta with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange in a single layer and bake, about 8 minutes or until golden and crisp.

Finish Chicken:

Add sliced shallot. Flip and cook chicken until cooked through and no longer pink, about 5-6 minutes more. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

You Plate It:

Add cooked shallot, parsley, onion, pumpkin, and croutons to the bowl with vinaigrette and toss to coat. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Cut chicken crosswise into 2½ cm slices. Divide panzanella and chicken evenly between plates. Enjoy!