You will receive:
1 x Whole Chicken (apx. 1.8Kg, £9.00/Kg)
1 x Garlic Bulb (50g x 1)
1 x Courgettes, green (300g)
1 x Recipe card Lemon Roast Chicken
1 x Flat Parsley, (Bunch) (100g)
1 x Cherry Vine Tomatoes (300g)
2 x Whole Lemon
From Your Pantry:
4 tbsp Olive oil or cold-pressed rapeseed oil
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Optional: 50ml dry white wine
Method:
1. Start the Chicken
Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C Fan / Gas Mark 6).
Pat the chicken skin completely dry with kitchen paper. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil over the bird and rub it into the skin. Season the chicken incredibly generously with sea salt and cracked black pepper, making sure to get plenty on the underside too.
Place the chicken breast-side up in a large, shallow roasting tin and pop it into the oven for 40 minutes.
2. Add the Summer Bed (At the 40-minute mark)
While the chicken has its head start, cut your garlic bulb completely in half horizontally and slice one lemon into thick rounds.
Carefully take the roasting tin out of the oven. Scatter the cherry vine tomatoes, garlic halves (cut-side down), and lemon slices directly into the chicken fat around the bird. Drizzle the new veg with 1 tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt. (If using white wine, splash the 50ml into the tin now).
Return the tin to the oven for a further 35 to 40 minutes. The chicken is done when the skin is deeply golden and crispy, and the juices run completely clear when you pierce the thickest part of the thigh. Transfer the chicken to a board to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Shave the Parsley Side Salad
While the chicken finishes roasting and rests, grab your courgette. Using a standard Y-shaped vegetable peeler, shave the courgette lengthwise into long, thin ribbons. Stop when you hit the soft, seedy core.
Pick the leaves from your bunch of flat-leaf parsley and leave them whole (or give them a very rough chop—you want big, beautiful green leaves).
In a salad bowl, gently toss the courgette ribbons and parsley leaves together. Just before serving, dress the salad with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the juice of the second lemon, and a pinch of sea salt.
4. Serve
Go back to the warm roasting tin. Use a pair of tongs to flip the garlic bulbs over and squeeze the sweet, soft, roasted garlic cloves straight out of their skins into the tomato and chicken juices, stirring to create a light pan sauce.
Carve the chicken, pile a generous mountain of the crunchy, zesty parsley salad alongside it, and spoon those warm, garlicky tomato pan juices over the top.