Quick butterflied roast chicken with garlic and lemon

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Full of flavour, this impressive centrepiece looks and tastes great – it’s also a really simple way to cook a chicken evenly.

Ingredients

• Whole chicken (1.6-1.8kg)
• 4 bulbs of garlic, halved
• 3 sliced lemons
• 3 tbsp olive oil or sunflower oil
• Salt and black pepper, to season

Garnish

• Watercress

Serving Options

• Serve on a bed of roasted sliced potato (see below).
• Accompany with roasted butternut squash.
• Team with tenderstem broccoli.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Place the chicken breast side down on a chopping board with the back of the chicken facing upwards.
3. Using either a suitable knife or poultry scissors, cut either side of the backbone and then discard.
4. Using a suitable sized pan or tray, place half of the garlic and the lemon (sliced into 2cm rounds) on the tray with the exposed side of the garlic visible. Then place the chicken onto the garlic and lemon with the meat facing upwards and push down gently so the chicken is flat.
5. Place the remaining garlic and lemon over the chicken and then brush or pour over the oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Cook for 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown.

Bed of roasted potato

1. The chicken really works when served on a bed of sliced potato, as the juices from the chicken, garlic and lemon will seep through and flavour the potato. To make, firstly wash the potatoes. You can peel them, but the skins will add flavour and texture.
2. Cut the potatoes into 2cm pieces, place them in a bowl, add oil, salt and pepper, and then place them onto the tray that you intend to cook the chicken in. You can cook them at the same time as the chicken, and to level up the flavours you can add rosemary, thyme and sage, which you don’t need to chop because they can be removed once the potatoes are cooked.