Perfect for a Sunday Meal or even a Hectic Midweek Dinner

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Make Perfect for a Sunday Meal or even a Hectic Midweek Dinner

Italian-inspired roast chicken recipe is a fantastic family pleaser, and would be a wonderful centerpiece for any Sunday roast or family get together. Given its quick preparation time, this roast chicken could also be made for a hearty midweek dinner. This flavorful roast chicken is accompanied by buttered peas in this recipe, but feel free to substitute the peas with your own favorite sides.

Herb Roasted Chicken, Buttered Peas with Lettuce and Bay Leaf

Serves 4

Total Time:  1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients

Roasted Chicken

1 chicken, weighing 4-5 pounds

1 carrot

olive oil

salt

pepper

Herb Mix

2 tbsp. of butter

2 tbsp. of cream cheese

1 sprig of tarragon, finely chopped

1 sprig of chervil, finely chopped

1 sprig of rosemary, finely chopped

1/2 lemon, zest finely grated

salt

pepper

Buttered Peas with Lettuce and Bay Leaf

1 tsp white wine vinegar

2 tsp white wine

1 bay leaf

1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 tsp English mustard

3 1/2 oz of iceberg lettuce, finely shredded

2 tsp heavy cream

1 stick (4 oz.) of unsalted butter, diced

salt

white pepper, freshly ground

8 oz of peas, cooked

Directions

Roast Chicken 

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Herb Mix 

Mix the herbs with the cream cheese, butter and zest, season well with salt and pepper and reserve to one side.

Remove the parson’s nose and trim up any excess fat.

Loosen the skin from the breast by gently working your fingers over the meat and under the skin to make a pocket repeat on the other side. Stuff the herb mix evenly under both breasts.

With a sharp knife, score the legs with two or three incisions, this will make the legs crispy and allow them to cook quicker. Tie up the legs of the chicken.

Rub olive oil over the chicken and season with salt and pepper. 

Using an adjustable roasting rack, adjust the rack to create a narrow V shape.  Lay the chicken on its side in the rack so the leg and wing of the chicken are on top.***

Cook for 25 minutes then flip the chicken over to the other side  roasting for another 20 minutes.

Open the adjustable roasting rack so you can sit the chicken upright  and roast for a further 15 minutes before removing. Check that the bird is cooked by inserting a small knife into the wing knuckle of the bird to test for blood. Allow to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Buttered Peas with Lettuce and Bay Leaf

Place the vinegar, wine, shallot and bay leaf in a small pan and boil until only a teaspoon of the liquid remains, then add the mustard.

Add the lettuce and cream and bring back to the boil for 15 seconds

Add the diced butter, little by little, and whisk in until a sauce is formed.

Season to taste, reheat the peas and add to the sauce.

To serve the roast chicken, carve the bird into 4 portions and serve with the peas.

***The reason for roasting the chicken on one side, then the other, than breast up, is to help cook the bird more evenly so that all of the chicken is done properly at the same time. No more dry breast meat and slightly underdone dark meat!

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