Chicken Linguine With Olives, Capers & Dates

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C (fan)/ 395°F/ Gas 6

Boil half a kettle

Chop the dates roughly

Cover the chopped dates with boiled water and set aside to soften

Peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic

Add the chicken thighs to an oven-proof dish

Add the red wine vinegar, dried oregano, capers, black olives, chopped garlic, bay leaves and 3 tbsp [6 tbsp] olive oil to the dish with the chicken thighs

Drain the softened dates and spread them over the chicken thighs

Give everything a good mix up

Put the dish in the oven for 20-25 min or until the chicken is cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your olive, caper & date chicken

Meanwhile, reboil a full kettle

Chop the parsley finely, including the stalks

Once the chicken has had 10 min in the oven, add the linguine to a pot of boiled water with a large pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a high heat

Cook the linguine for 8-10 min or until cooked with a slight bite

Once done, drain the cooked linguine and return to the pot

Once cooked, transfer the chicken thighs to a clean board and shred them apart, using two forks – this technique is known as 'pulling'

Remove and discard the bay leaves

Return the shredded chicken to the dish and give everything a good mix up

Stir the olive, caper & date sauce and most of the chopped parsley (save the rest for garnish!) through the cooked linguine