Roast a chicken on Sunday, then you can turn it into three speedy weeknight meals recipes AILSA BURT photographs HANNAH TAYLOR-EDDINGTON
THE BASE
Roast chicken
MAKES 800-900g shredded meat PREP 20 mins plus at least 1 hr resting COOK 1 hr EASY
1 whole chicken, around 2kg
1 lemon, halved small bunch of thyme
1 garlic bulb, separated into skin-on cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
75g butter, melted
1 Pat the chicken dry all over and sit in a roasting tray. Combine 1 tbsp salt and 1 tsp ground pepper, then rub all over the chicken, getting under the skin and being careful not to rip it. Stuff the cavity with the lemon halves and most of the thyme sprigs. Scatter the remaining thyme and the garlic in the roasting tin. If you have time, chill overnight in the fridge. If not, leave at room temperature for 1 hr.
2 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Coat the chicken in the olive oil and butter and place back in the roasting tin, breast-side down. Roast for 50 mins to 1 hr. To check if it’s cooked, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast – it should read 70C, or pierce the thigh with a skewer and the juices should run clear. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. Use two forks to shred the meat. Remove the skins from garlic and keep chilled in an airtight container along with the roasting juices and shredded chicken. Will keep chilled for up to four days.
GOOD TO KNOW gluten free PER SERVING 393 kcals • fat 26g • saturates 9g • carbs none • sugars none • fibre 0.1g • protein 39g • salt 2.9g
tip
The roasting juices will separate into fat and juice – save both for the recipes overleaf.
MEAL 1Chicken, green bean & sundried tomato salad with chicken fat croutons
SERVES 4 PREP 15 mins COOK 20 mins EASY
300g sourdough or crusty bread, torn into chunks
3 tbsp leftover chicken fat (from the recipe on p59)
300g green beans, trimmed
300g leftover chicken, shredded (from the recipe on p59)
75g sundried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
250g vine tomatoes, roughly nchopped
2 roasted garlic cloves, mashed
(from the recipe on p59)
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
4 tbsp sundried tomato oil or olive oil small handful of parsley, finely chopped
1 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Combine the bread pieces and chicken fat in a roasting tin with a pinch of seasoning. Roast for 15-20 mins until crisp, then set aside to cool slightly.
2 Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to a boil and tip in the green beans, bring to a boil again and cook for 2-3 mins until just tender. Drain well and tip into
