The arrival of spring turns our attention to lighter, fresher alternatives to the classic Sunday roast
SERVES 4
HANDS-ON TIME 20 mins
TOTAL TIME 1 hr 45 mins, plus resting
MILLION-DOLLAR CHICKEN
At first glance, this might look like any other roast chicken… but there’s a hidden bonus of sourdough bread slices underneath, which absorb the roasting juices and a smoky crème fraîche sauce. Dig in!
◆ a whole chicken, about 1.6kg), preferably free-range
◆ 2 tbsp olive oil
◆ 3 slices sourdough bread
◆ 3 lemons
◆ a few thyme sprigs
◆ a few sage or rosemary sprigs
◆ 1 small onion, halved
◆ 4 garlic cloves, bashed
◆ 1 shallot
◆ 300ml full-fat crème fraîche
◆ 1 tsp smoked paprika
◆ 15g finely grated Parmesan
◆ watercress, to serve
1 Remove the chicken from the fridge at least 30 minutes before roasting, to come to room temperature.
2 Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Drizzle a little of the oil into a roasting tin (one that is only a little bit larger than the chicken), add the sliced sourdough and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon of oil.
3 Season the chicken generously, inside and out. Halve one of the lemons and squeeze the juice into the cavity. Stuff the lemon shells, herbs, onion and garlic inside then sit the chicken on top of the bread. Drizzle the bird with the rest of the oil and roast for 1 hour.
4 While the chicken is roasting, grate the zest from the second lemon into a bowl and squeeze in the juice. Finely grate in the shallot, so that it’s essentially puréed, and mix in the crème fraîche, smoked paprika and seasoning. Put half in a small pan for the sauce; the rest will be used for basting.
5 When the chicken has roasted for an hour and the legs can be wiggled around a bit rather than feeling inflexible, brush all over with half the basting sauce; it will thin down when it hits the hot chicken and run down onto the bread, which is just what you want to happen. Add the third lemon, halved, to the roasting tin. Roast for another 10 minutes, glaze again then roast for 5 minutes. Scatter over the Parmesan and roast for a final 5 minutes.
6 Leave to rest for 15 minutes, and garnish with fresh herbs, if you like. Heat through the crème fraîche sauce in the pan for 1-2 minutes. Carve the chicken and divide up the roasted bread from underneath (don’t worry if this is looking dark; it will have absorbed all the roasting juices and is utterly delicious). Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and serve with watercress, plus extra vegetables of your choice (new potatoes are good with this).
PER SERVING
