Roast Chicken

(All Recipes have Gluten-Free Options)

Malaysian Roast Chicken with Coconut, Lemongrass & Squash (Serves 4)

This chicken dish is very simple to prepare, it’s a one-pan recipe from Rukmini Iyer’s cookbook ‘A Roasting Tin Around the World’; it’s the ultimate traybake! The rich coconut aromas of this roast will make your kitchen smell wonderful. It’s incredibly moreish and mild enough for younger taste buds – serve some fresh, sliced chilli on the side for more daring adults. You can simply serve with rice or in addition, I’ve discovered that this roast and its spices go particularly well with a salad that I found in the cookbook ‘Agak Agak’ by Shu Han Lee (recipe here); it’s a Singaporean recipe which complements the Malaysian flavours of the chicken – the combination is a delicious Southeast Asian dream!

1 x 400ml tin coconut milk

1kg chicken thighs and drumsticks

600g butternut squash, thinly sliced

3 shallots, peeled and halved

Spice Paste:

3 shallots, peeled

5cm ginger, peeled

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 red chilli, stem removed

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 sticks of lemongrass

3 tablespoons tamarind paste

5 macadamia nuts (optional)

2 teaspoons brown sugar

To Serve:

Thinly sliced chilli and chopped coriander

Tip all the ingredients for the spice paste into a food processor with enough of the coconut milk to make everything blend fairly smoothly together.
Mix the paste with the remaining coconut milk then tip into a roasting tin along with the chicken, squash and shallots, making sure there’s plenty of sauce over the chicken.
Transfer to a preheated oven, 180’c fan, and roast for 1 hour, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through and the squash is soft. Scatter over thinly sliced chilli and chopped coriander. Serve with rice and/or ‘Cucumber, Pineapple & Peanut Rojak’ (recipe here).

Balsamic Pot Roast Chicken (Serves 4)

This is a modern take on a traditional roast and is one of those recipes which promises to be a family favourite. The juicy flavours of this dish are enhanced by the subtle sweetness of balsamic vinegar which younger members will definitely love! The recipe is from Donna Hay’s cookbook, ‘One Pan Perfect’. It is almost a ‘perfect one pan recipe’, however, if like me you prefer your potatoes a little crisped up, then it’s best after initially cooking together with the chicken, to move them into a separate roasting tin – I’ve adjusted the recipe below accordingly.

125ml balsamic vinegar

250ml chicken stock

60g brown sugar

8 sprigs oregano

6 cloves garlic, halved

1 x 1.6 -2kg whole chicken

900g roasting potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

400g parsnips or carrots, or a mix of both, peeled and cut in half or quartered depending on their size

Sea salt and black pepper

Olive oil

Place the balsamic, stock, sugar, oregano and garlic into a deep casserole dish. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan, breast side down. Add the potatoes and parsnips and/ or carrots. Drizzle with oil and cover with a tight fitting lid. Place in a preheated oven, 220’c fan, for 45 minutes.
Remove the lid and carefully turn the chicken over. At this point I also remove the vegetables (see note above) to a separate roasting tin together with 2 tablespoons of the cooking juices.
Baste and chicken in its pot and return to the oven, uncovered. At the same time baste the vegetables in their roasting tin and also return them to the oven. Cook for a further 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the chicken from the oven and rest for around 15 minutes. Meanwhile baste the vegetables and return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until crisped to your liking.
Serve the chicken and it’s wonderful cooking juices with the roast vegetables on the side.

One Pot Chicken with Potatoes, Herby Salsa & Roasted Garlic (Serves 4)

My son, Felix, discovered this recipe. When he cooked it for me I was so impressed by its fantastic flavours that I knew straight away that it would be a recipe that I would have to share with you. Not only is it delicious but incredibly simple to cook – a one pot roast which would be easy to cook any day of the week. This recipe is by Jamie Oliver who is renowned for his simple yet tasty dishes but I think he’s excelled himself with this one!

1 x 1.5kg whole free-range chicken

1kg potatoes

1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley (30g), stalks and leaves seperated

1 bulb of garlic

40g blanched hazelnuts

Extra virgin olive oil

Rub the chicken all over with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper, then brown in a large casserole pan on a high heat, removing it to a plate once golden all over (roughly 5 minutes).
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and chop into 5cm chunks. Pour 700ml of water into the pan, then add the parsley stalks, garlic bulb (reserving 1 garlic clove for later) and the potatoes. Bring to the boil on the hob for 15 minutes, season lightly.
Place the chicken on top and place in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and cooked through.
Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the reserved garlic clove, very finely chop the parsley leaves, and roughly chop the hazelnuts. Decant into a small serving bowl, stir in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 3-4 tablespoons of water, and season to taste.
Transfer the chicken and potatoes to a serving platter, spoon over the herby salsa and serve the garlic bulb on the side, for squeezing over.

Tarragon Roast Chicken (Serves 4)

Tarragon is one of my favourite herbs, I love the way it’s subtle aniseed flavours lift a dish. Chicken with tarragon is a classic match, hence I’ve already shared a few recipes on Menu Mistress (here!) which celebrate this combination. Each recipe is different and has its own values. This ‘Tarragon Roast’ is a new favourite of mine which I found in the cookbook ‘The Farm Table’ by Julius Roberts. In this recipe the chicken is spatchcocked and cooked with a tarragon, cream and wine sauce. It’s a simple dish but one that is full of flavour. For an extra shot of tarragon serve with a crispy green salad with ‘tarragon dressing’ (recipe here!).

If you get your chicken from your butcher, ask him to spatchcock it for you, alternatively it is very easy to do yourself…

How to Spatchcock a Chicken:

On the backside of the chicken, using a pair of strong kitchen scissors, cut along either side of the back bone to remove it, then flip the chicken over and press down very firmly on its breast bones, it will give a satisfying crack as it flattens! Some people like to insert skewers to help keep the chicken flat during cooking but in my experience they make no difference, so I prefer not to use them as they make it more difficult to carve the bird.

Click here to watch the video on me spatchcocking a chicken on my Instagram Page!

1 chicken, spatchcocked

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 whole head of garlic, cloves unpeeled

250ml double cream

20g bunch of fresh tarragon, leaves removed and roughly chopped

1 heaped tablespoon Dijon mustard

A glass of dry white wine

Sea salt and black pepper

Lay the chicken in a large, high-sided roasting tray. Season generously with salt and pepper on both sides, and drizzle the skin with olive oil, working it into the nooks and crannies. Place the unpeeled cloves of garlic under the chicken, then roast in a preheated oven, 220’c fan for 20-30 minutes until the skin begins to turn golden brown.
Meanwhile, mix the cream, tarragon and mustard in a bowl and season well with salt and pepper.
After 20-30 minutes, turn the oven down to 140’c fan, take the chicken out of the oven and pour a generous glass of white wine into the tray (not over the chicken!). Then pour the cream mixture all over the chicken and place back in the oven for 30-40 minutes until it’s cooked through.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes, loosely covered with foil. Carve straight from the tin, serving with lots of the cream sauce.

Roast Chicken with Chorizo, Garlic and Rosemary (Serves 4)

This is a one-pot roast – the chicken is roasted on a bed of potatoes and chorizo. The vibrant flavour of the chorizo together with the lemon, garlic and rosemary create a rich gravy with the chicken juices. This recipe is from Emily Scott’s ‘Time & Tide’ cookbook.

1 whole chicken

50- 100g unsalted butter, softened

6 rashers of unsalted bacon

2 lemons, halved

8 rosemary sprigs

12 garlic cloves, left whole, unpeeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

300g chorizo, thickly sliced

500g small new potatoes, left whole

Sea salt and black pepper

Place the chicken in a roasting tin. Rub the breasts and legs with the butter, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the streaky bacon over the breasts of chicken. Place the lemon halves and most of the rosemary in the cavity. Arrange the garlic cloves around the chicken in the roasting tin, then drizzle the whole chicken with olive oil.
Roast in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 20-25 minutes, by which time the bacon should be crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside (if you would like it slightly crispier place in a separate dish and continue to bake in oven for a further 5-10 minutes).
Baste the chicken with its buttery and lemon juices, then arrange the chorizo slices and small potatoes around the chicken with the remaining rosemary sprigs. Then return to the oven and roast for a further 40-55 minutes until the chicken is golden brown and juices run clear (test by inserting a skewer into a leg).
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve and serve with the buttery, golden juices, with the roasted potatoes, chorizo and a slice of the crispy bacon. A simple green salad is good on the side.

Roast Poussin with Leek, Roast Pear & Goats Cheese (Serves 4)

I adore the flavours of this recipe, the sweetness of the roast pear and the tangy freshness of the goats cheese complement the poussin beautifully. Of course, instead of poussin you could use a spatchcock chicken – it may need 5-10 minutes more in the oven, but the leeks and pears will be fine. This recipe is taken from ‘Leiths How to Cook’ – a classic cookbook!

If you get your poussin from your butcher, ask him to spatchcock them for you, alternatively it is very easy to do yourself…

How to Spatchcock a Poussin or Chicken:

On the backside of the poussin/chicken, using a pair of strong kitchen scissors, cut along either side of the back bone to remove it, then flip the poussin/ chicken over and press down very firmly on its breast bones, it will give a satisfying crack as it flattens!

Click here to watch the video on me spatchcocking a chicken on my Instagram Page!

For the Chicken:

2 poussin, spatchcocked (or 1 small spatchcocked chicken – see note above)

3 firm pears

2 small leeks

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

½ tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

Bunch watercress

¼ lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons white wine

100g soft goats cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Place the poussin (or chicken) in a shallow roasting tin.
Quarter and core the pears, there is no need to peel them. Wash and trim the leeks and cut on the diagonal into 2cm slices. Place the pears and leeks around the poussin. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and scatter over the garlic, mustard seeds and fennel seeds. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 35-40 minutes, turning the pears and leeks from time to time to ensure even browning, until the poussin are cooked and the pears and leeks are caramelised and tender.
Place the watercress in a bowl, squeeze over the lemon juice and drizzle over with the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to mix, then arrange on plates.
Once the poussin are cooked transfer to a plate with the pears and leeks to rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile pour off any fat from the juices in the roasting tin, add the wine and some salt and pepper, and bring quickly to the boil.
Carve the poussin, place on the plates with the watercress and the pears and leeks. Dress with the pan juices. Pull the goats cheese into pieces and scatter over to serve.

Buttery Lemon Roast Chicken with Artichoke, Fennel & Pecorino Salad (Serves 4)

This is from Skye McAlpines cookbook ‘A Table for Friends’, she describes this recipe for roast chicken as her ‘failsafe’, which can’t be a bad thing! The salad is from the same book, its flavours are fantastic with the roast chicken. I also like to serve this dish with ‘Concetta’s Potatoes’ (recipe here).

Buttery Lemon Roast Chicken (Serves 4)

A large bunch of sage

1 lemon

50g salted butter, softened

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes, plus a generous pinch

1 small chicken, about 1.4kg

Finely chop half the sage and finely zest the lemon. In a bowl mix the butter, chopped sage, lemon zest and the 1 teaspoon of salt, mashing to a paste.
Put the chicken in a roasting tray. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze some of the juice into the cavity, then stuff the 2 halves inside with the remaining sage sprigs.
Gently lift the skin flap on the right breast and smear one-quarter of the butter mixture under it, using your fingers to press it down as far and as evenly as possible, taking care not to tear the skin. Repeat with the left breast. Now rub the rest of the butter over the chicken, on the breasts, legs and wings. Sprinkle all over with an extra pinch of salt.
Roast the chicken in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 1¼ hours, until the skin is golden and crisp and the juices run clear when you stick a knife into the thickest part (between the leg and body). Leave to rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving with a spoonful of the pan juices.

Artichoke, Fennel & Pecorino Salad (Serves 4-6)

Just three main ingredients, but wow, they really sing together! Using artichokes preserved in oil makes this recipe a year-round option.

10 baby artichokes in oil

1 fennel bulb

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

A handful parsley leaves

100g pecorino cheese or parmesan cheese, shaved

Sea salt and black pepper

Quarter the artichokes. Remove the fennel fronds and save to dress the salad. Finely slice the fennel bulb.
Put the artichokes and sliced fennel into a salad bowl, squeeze over the juice of the lemon and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss, then add the parsley leaves, season with salt and pepper and toss again.
Top with shavings of pecorino and the reserved fennel fronds.

Whole Butter Chicken with Sweet Potatoes & Red Onion (Serves 4)

Here a subtly tandoori spiced chicken is cooked on a bed of sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes and onions, and at the end of cooking, you are left with a wonderfully sweet tomato sauce. It is a great family dinner dish from Rukmini Iyer’s cookbook ‘The Roasting Tin Around the World’, in which all the recipes are simply cooked in one dish – minimum effort, maximum flavour!…

1 x 1.5kg chicken

50g butter

1 cinnamon stick

5 green cardamom pods, bashed

5 cloves

10cm ginger, grated

4 cloves garlic, crushed

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large 5cm chunks

2 red onions, quartered

500g cherry tomatoes with their vines

1 lime, zest and juice

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons ground cumin

4 heaped tablespoons natural yogurt

1 tablespoon sunflower or olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

150ml double cream

To Serve: lime juice, sea salt flakes and fresh coriander, roughly chopped.

Place the butter, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, half of the grated ginger and garlic into a large roasting tin. Put it in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 3-5 minutes to let the butter melt and the spices toast.
Remove the tin from the oven and add the sweet potatoes, red onions and cherry tomatoes (with their vines) and place the chicken on the top.
Mix together the lime zest and juice and the smoked paprika, turmeric, cumin, yogurt, oil, salt and the remaining ginger and garlic. Slather this mixture over the chicken and return the tin to the oven, cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Take the tin from the oven, remove the vines and squash down the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Stir in the double cream, then return it to the oven for a further 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Taste the sauce and adjust the flavours with salt and lime juice as needed. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving, scattered with the chopped coriander.

Spatchcock Chicken with Garlic Cream Sauce (Serves 4 – 6)

This is the perfect quick midweek roast!…Spatchcock chicken simply means that the chicken is laid out flat by removing its backbone, it enables the chicken to roast quicker and it’s a lot easier to carve. In this recipe by Nigella Lawson, it is served with a garlic cream sauce which is incredibly good. It is delicious served with rice to mop up the sauce or likewise steamed potatoes are great crushed into it! (Check out my other recipe for Spatchcock Chicken with Rosemary, Garlic and Chilli here)

If you get your chicken from your butcher, ask him to spatchcock it for you, alternatively it is very easy to do yourself…

How to Spatchcock a Chicken:

Click here to watch the video on me spatchcocking a chicken on my Instagram Page!

For the chicken:

1 Chicken (approx. 1.5kg), spatchcocked

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes, plus more for sprinkling

2 fat cloves garlic, crushed

30g butter, softened

75ml dry white vermouth or white wine

75ml of water

For the sauce:

300ml double cream

4 fat cloves garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

3 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of sea salt flakes over the inside of the chicken and rub over the 2 cloves of crushed garlic. Leave for 30 minutes or so at room temperature.
For the sauce, pour the cream into a small saucepan, add the 4 cloves of crushed garlic and a good grinding of black pepper. Stir well and bring just to the boil, then lower the temperature and allow it to simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid or foil, leave to one side whilst you cook the chicken.
Turn the chicken the right side up and place in a roasting tin, smear the soft butter all over the skin and sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon of sea salt flakes.
Combine the vermouth (or wine) with the water and pour into the tin around the chicken, place in the oven, 200’c fan, for about 45 minutes until the skin is golden and crisp and the meat is cooked through.
Transfer the chicken to a carving board to rest for 10 minutes. Pour the pan juices into the saucepan with the cream. Bring the cream sauce to just under the boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Taste for seasoning and add most of the parsley and chives.
Cut up the chicken and arrange on a platter. Pour over a little sauce and sprinkle with the remaining herbs. Serve at the table with the remaining sauce in a jug.

Rotisserie-Style Roast Chicken (Serves 4-6)

This is a rather special roast chicken recipe from Rick Stein’s cookbook ‘Secret France’, it takes its inspiration from the French ‘fast food’ chicken which you often find in local French markets and ‘boucheries’. I am sure that many of you will have savoured this delicious chicken on your visits to France particularly around Paris; the chickens are slowly roasted on an outdoor rotisserie with sliced potatoes underneath to catch all the delicious roasting juices, heaven! In this recipe the chicken is similarly roasted on a bed of sliced potatoes at a low temperature for 2-2½ hours, although this may seem a long time it comes out incredibly succulent. It’s a very handsfree recipe, so can easily be made midweek, it just needs a good green salad and is also great with a beetroot and mint salad (recipe here).

1 free range chicken (about 1.7kg)

½ lemon

1 clove garlic, bashed

700g potatoes (such as Maris Piper), peeled and cut into 2cm thick slices

2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Spice Rub:

2 teaspoons paprika

Good pinch of cayenne

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dried thyme

40g butter, softened

First of all make the spice rub by mixing all the spices and seasoning together and blending with the butter.
Put the lemon half and the garlic inside the cavity of the chicken and tie up the legs.
Rub the spiced butter all over the chicken.
Place the sliced potatoes in a roasting tin, drizzle over the olive oil, place the chicken in the middle of the roasting tin on top of the potatoes.
Roast in a preheated oven, 130’c fan, for around 2½ hours. Baste the chicken and potatoes a few times during the cooking time.
Rest the chicken for about 10 minutes before carving, whilst it is resting, if I want the potatoes a little crispier, I often crank up the oven to 200’c and return them to the oven .
Serve the carved chicken with the potatoes and pan juices spooned over. It is delicious with a simple green salad with a classic vinaigrette (recipe here) and a beetroot salad (recipe here).

Halloween Chicken with Roast Beetroot & Butternut Squash Mash with Sage (Serves 4-6)

This is a delicious roast chicken recipe, the beetroot is cooked beneath the chicken and so becomes really tasty having soaked up the chicken juices. You must serve it with butternut squash mash (recipe here), as its sweetness really complements the earthy flavours of the beetroot, plus it makes the dish incredibly colourful! Despite its name, this roast chicken recipe is not just for Halloween, it is a winner throughout the colder months!

I found this recipe on Nina Parker’s website, she is the also the author of one of my favourite cookbooks, ‘Nina’s St Tropez’.

1 chicken, approx. 1.8kg

3 red onions, sliced

5 beetroot, cut into 6ths

20 garlic cloves, skins on, lightly smashed with the back of a knife

2 lemons, 1 quartered and the other juiced

Small bunch of sage

4 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

Place a few of the smashed garlic cloves, the lemon quarters, and a few sage leaves in the cavity of the chicken.
Put a little olive oil in a large roasting tin and place the chicken in the centre.
Place the chopped beetroot, sliced red onions and the remaining garlic cloves around the chicken. Pour over the juice of the lemon, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper – mix everything around to get a good coating.
Place in a preheated oven, 190’c fan, for 25 minutes then turn over the chicken, and return to the oven for a further 25 minutes.
Remove the tray from the oven, stir around the vegetables – remove any that are cooked and place to one side covered with foil. Turn the chicken back over to crisp up the skin, placing in the oven for a further 15 – 25 minutes by which time both, all of the vegetables and chicken should be cooked.
Serve the chicken with the roast beetroot, onions and garlic and mashed butternut squash with sage (recipe here).

Tarragon Pot Roast Chicken (Serves 4)

This is probably one of my all-time favourite chicken recipes – have I sold it to you?!… Seriously, it is very good and is super easy; the sauce is created from the delicious juices which are caught under the chicken in the pot. Tarragon and chicken are, of course, a classic combination, so you honestly can’t go wrong with this recipe! I serve it with Garlic Green Beans, which are amazing – try them – and also with either Concetta’s Potatoes or Roast Potatoes .

2 tablespoons chopped tarragon

1 garlic clove, crushed

50g unsalted butter, softened

1 x 1.6-1.8 kg chicken

2 teaspoons oil

150ml chicken stock

30ml white wine

1 tablespoon plain flour (gluten free if required)

1 heaped tablespoon tarragon leaves, roughly chopped

150ml double cream

Mix together half the butter with the 2 tablespoons of chopped tarragon and the garlic. Season with salt and pepper and place inside the cavity of the chicken, then tie the legs together.
Heat the remaining butter and the oil in a large casserole dish, and brown the chicken all over.
Add the wine and chicken stock. Cover the casserole and place in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.
Remove the chicken to rest in a warm place, making sure that you drain any juices from it back into the pan.
Skim a tablespoon of the surface fat from the cooking liquid and put it in a small bowl. Skim off any remaining fat and discard.
Add the flour to the reserved fat and mix to a smooth paste.
Whisk the paste into the cooking liquid over a moderate heat until the sauce boils and thickens.
Strain the sauce into a clean saucepan and add the heaped tablespoon of chopped tarragon leaves, simmer for 2 minutes and then add the cream, reheating without boiling. Season with salt and pepper.
Carve the chicken, serve with the sauce spooned over and with Garlic Green Beans, Concetta’s potatoes or Roast potatoes (Click here for recipes).

Pot Roast Chicken with Figs (Serves 4-6)

I love pot roasting chicken as once in the oven it just looks after itself. It is less fatty and messy to cook than a traditional roast, plus the juices caught in the bottom of the pot create a lovely sauce and the chicken comes out perfectly moist! This recipe with the figs is rather luxurious, and naturally very tasty. Any leftover figs are great the next day cold (and sticky!) with prosciutto or other cold meats – what a beautiful lunch!! I found this recipe in Diana Henry’s wonderful cookbook ‘A Bird in the Hand’, which concentrates purely on chicken recipes – it is a very comforting cookbook. I like to serve this dish with either Perfect Roast Potatoes or Concetta’s Potatoes (recipes here)

1½ tablespoons olive oil

1.8kg chicken

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons Armagnac

125ml dry white wine

125ml chicken stock

4 sprigs of thyme

1 bay leaf

12 -18 figs, stalks snipped, halved

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

20g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Sea salt and black pepper

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, heat the oil in a large casserole dish (with a lid) and brown the chicken all over.
Pour off most of the fat and fry the onion until soft and golden.
Deglaze the pan with the Armagnac, scraping the base of the pan with a wooden spoon to remove all the sticky bits, then add the wine, stock, thyme and bay leaf. Season with black pepper.
Return the chicken and any juices that have run out of it. Cover, put in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 70 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for another 20 minutes. Baste every so often
Remove the Chicken from the pan and keep warm. Skim off the fat from the cooking juices and strain into a frying pan. Boil to reduce them, until they become slightly syrupy.
Reduce the heat and add the figs, vinegar and honey. Cook for about 4 minutes.
Remove the figs with a slotted spoon and whisk in the cubed butter to make a rich and shiny sauce.
Serve the Chicken, either whole or jointed, on a warm platter with the figs surrounding it and the sauce in a jug on the side

Spatchcock Chicken with Rosemary, Garlic and Chilli (Serves 4-6)

Spatchcock Chicken is a great way to roast a chicken – it enables the chicken to cook quicker and is a lot easier to carve. The rosemary, garlic and chilli oil in this recipe, is a particular favourite of mine, it is a tasty and a very simple way of seasoning the chicken. A great accompaniment to this chicken is the Cantaloupe, Artichoke and Walnut Salad which you can find here. If you get your chicken from your butcher, ask him to spatchcock it for you, alternatively it is very easy to do yourself…

How to Spatchcock a Chicken:

Click here to watch the video on me spatchcocking a chicken on my Instagram Page!

1 x 1.8 – 2.25kg chicken, spactchcocked

1 teaspoon of sea salt flakes

For the marinade:

1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary (about 3 sprigs)

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (about 20 grinds of a pepper grinder)

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

Juice of half a lemon

4 tablespoons olive oil

Firstly make the marinade by combining all the ingredients together.
Cover the chicken all over with the marinade – I use a brush to do this.
Place it breast side up, flattened out, in a roasting tin. Sprinkle over with the sea salt flakes.
Place in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 45-50 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken.

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