Chicken and leek pasta

Delicious, savoury, garlicky, lemony with sweetness from roasted leek. An excellent weeknight dinner, simple to make and tasty to eat. Feeds 2

• 4 chicken thighs
• 2 leeks, cut into 2cm pieces
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 200g pasta shapes
• ½ lemon, zest and juice
• Parmesan

1. Pre-heat oven to 190C fan (210C)
2. Put the chicken thighs, leek pieces and whole, unpeeled garlic cloves into a roasting tin
3. Drizzle over the oil, add salt and pepper and smush everything together to coat with oil and seasoning
4. Shuffle everything out into a single layer and pop it in the oven for 30 mins
5. Put a big pan of salted water on the hob to boil. Try to time it so the water comes to a boil as the roasting tin comes out of the oven
6. Put the pasta in and bubble for 10-12 mins (or whatever the package says) until cooked – then drain and put back in the saucepan
7. In the meantime, remove the leeks to a bowl on one side
8. Remove the chicken from the tin onto a chopping board and slice into bite-sized pieces
9. Squeeze the soft garlic out of its skin back into the roasting tin
10. Scoop 60ml or so of boiling pasta water from the saucepan and use it to deglaze the roasting tin over a low heat, scraping the delicous brown from every corner and squishing the garlic into the mix as you do it
11. Add the lemon juice and zest, stirring to combine
12. Pour the glossy mix of lemon, garlic and chicken juice into the drained pasta, scraping with a spatula to catch every scrap
13. Tip in the leeks and chicken and stir thoroughly to combine. Check the seasoning
14. Serve hot with a drift of grated parmesan over the top