This is my husband Jesse’s speciality. We often have family over on a Sunday and they all look forward to tucking into this dish. Although I don’t eat chicken, my family rave about the flavours from the herbs and the hint of lemon that creeps through too. It’s a classic that makes a weekend that bit more special. Serve up with any veg you desire. I think it goes particularly well with Maple Glazed Carrots, Pan-fried Broccoli with Chilli Flakes and Crispy Garlic and Pan-fried Courgette with Cumin and Goat’s Cheese.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
– 1.8kg free-range chicken
– 20g fresh basil, stalks removed, leaves finely chopped
– 10g fresh tarragon, stalks removed, leaves finely chopped
– 4 tbsp olive oil
– 1 tsp sea salt
– ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
– 1 lemon
– 3 red onions, halved
– 1 bulb of garlic, separated into cloves (no need to peel)
Method:
1. Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/450°F/Gas mark 8.
2. Combine the chopped herbs with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a large roasting dish and coat it thoroughly with the herby oil, making sure it gets into all the nooks and crannies.
3. Stab the lemon a few times with a sharp knife or fork, and place it in the cavity of the bird. Toss the onion halves and garlic cloves in the remaining oil, season well with salt and pepper, and leave to one side.
5. Put the roasting dish in the preheated oven, immediately turn the temperature down to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas mark 6, and roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting it halfway through with its own cooking juices, then add the onion and garlic cloves to the dish and roast for a further 30 minutes.
6. While the chicken is cooking, prepare your chosen accompaniments.
7. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven, cover with foil and leave to rest for 15–20 minutes. Once rested, serve the chicken on a board or platter with the onion and garlic surrounding it.
Fearne Cotton is one of our best-loved television and radio presenters. This year Fearne completed filming the 13th series of Celebrity Juice in her role as team captain. Other programmes include The BBC Music Awards and Top of the Pops with Reggie Yates. She is also a keen healthy baker and young, busy, working mum who has found some great ways to eat well and eat clean.
Her first cookbook, Cook Happy, Cook Healthy, is full of easy, fast and healthy recipes for everything from breakfast and speedy suppers to baked treats. Delicious dishes include Quick Granola, Courgette Fritters with Herby Yoghurt Dip, Halloumi and Roasted Beetroot Salad, and Almond and Apricot Biscuits. With an eye to food bills and time-poor households, the ingredients are easy to buy and few in number, and the methods very simple.
Cook Happy, Cook Healthy is available on amazon.co.uk
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