CHICKEN FAMILY RECIPE RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to cook it, to let it come up to room temperature.
  2. Preheat the oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9.
  3. Wash and roughly chop the vegetables – there’s no need to peel them. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled.
  4. Pile all the veg, garlic and herbs into the middle of a large roasting tray and drizzle with oil.
  5. Drizzle the chicken with oil and season well with sea salt and black pepper, then rub all over the bird. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables.
  6. Carefully prick the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife (if you have a microwave, you could pop the lemon in these for 40 seconds at this point as this will really bring out the flavour). Put the lemon inside the chicken’s cavity, with the bunch of herbs.
  7. Place the tray in the oven, then turn the heat down immediately to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes.
  8. If you’re doing roast potatoes and veggies, this is the time to crack on with them – get them into the oven for the last 45 minutes of cooking.
  9. Baste the chicken halfway through cooking and if the veg look dry, add a splash of water to the tray to stop them from burning.
  10. When the chicken is cooked, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so. Cover it with a layer of tin foil and a tea towel and leave aside while you make your gravy.
  11. To carve your chicken, remove any string and take off the wings (break them up and add to your gravy, along with the veg trivet, for mega flavour). Carefully cut down between the leg and the breast. Cut through the joint and pull the leg off.
  12. Repeat on the other side, then cut each leg between the thigh and the drumstick so you end up with four portions of dark meat. Place these on a serving platter.
  13. You should now have a clear space to carve the rest of your chicken. Angle the knife along the breastbone and carve one side off, then the other.
  14. When you get down to the fussy bits, just use your fingers to pull all the meat off, and turn the chicken over to get all the tasty, juicy bits from underneath. You should be left with a stripped carcass, and a platter full of lovely meat that you can serve with your piping hot gravy and some delicious roast veg.

Steps:

• 1. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the chicken in half along the backbone.
  2. Pick the thyme leaves into a pestle and mortar, peel and add 1 garlic clove, then add the paprika and a pinch of sea salt. Bash to a paste, then muddle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
  3. Rub the marinade all over the chicken, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
  4. When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Place a large griddle pan over a high heat.
  5. Quarter the unpeeled onions and halve any larger tomatoes, then place on the hot griddle with the chillies and the remaining unpeeled garlic cloves. Grill for 5 to 10 minutes, or until charred all over, turning regularly.
  6. Remove the garlic skins and peel the onions, then add all the vegetables to a food processor with a splash of red wine vinegar and a good lug of extra virgin olive oil. Blitz until smooth, then add a splash of water to loosen, if needed. Season to taste.
  7. Return the griddle pan to a high heat, add the marinated chicken and sear all over for 8 to 10 minutes, turning regularly. Transfer to a roasting tray, then pop in the hot oven for 45 minutes, or until cooked through.
  8. Meanwhile, cut the sweet potatoes into rough 2cm wedges. Toss with the paprika, semolina, a small pinch of salt and black pepper and a lug of olive oil.
  9. Spread the wedges out on 2 large baking trays, then place in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender and crisp.
  10. To make the jalapeño salsa, drain and add the jalapeños to a food processor with a splash of the pickling juice. Tear in the coriander (stalks and all) and add a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Blitz well until smooth.
  11. Serve the roast chicken with your piri piri sauce, sweet potato wedges and a little jalapeño salsa.