Name: Herby roast chicken with garlic lemon toasts
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1.8kg chicken; 1 preserved or fresh lemon (see tip, below); 1 bunch basil; 1 fresh bay leaf (or 3 dried); 2 garlic bulbs, sliced across the middle; 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling, if you like; ½ loaf ciabatta sliced

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Herby roast chicken with garlic lemon toasts

Herby roast chicken with garlic lemon toasts

Matt Tebbutt

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Serves 5

Easy

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 1 hr

Plus resting

A star rating of 5 out of 5.1 ratingRate

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Crunchy lemon toasts make an unusual addition to this succulent family weekend dish

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

1.8kg chicken
1 preserved or fresh lemon

(see tip, below)
1 bunch basil
1 fresh bay leaf

(or 3 dried)
2 garlic

bulbs, sliced across the middle
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

plus extra for drizzling, if you like
½ loaf ciabatta

sliced

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal554
fat34g
saturates10g
carbs21g
sugars2g
fibre1g
protein41g
salt1.3g

low

Method

step 1

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Stuff the chicken with the preserved lemon, basil, bay leaves and 1 of the garlic bulbs. Place in a roasting tin, season inside and out, then rub olive oil all over the skin. Roast in the oven for 1 hr, basting regularly.
step 2

After 30 mins, nestle the other garlic bulb in the tin, then cook with the chicken for the final 30 mins. Test if the chicken is cooked by pushing a skewer into the thigh – if the juices run clear, it’s done. Leave to rest somewhere warm for at least 15 mins, catching any resting juices.
step 3

To make the toasts, grill or toast the sliced ciabatta. Take the softened garlic bulb that cooked alongside the chicken and squeeze the flesh onto the toasts, then roughly spread over with a knife. Remove the preserved lemon from the chicken cavity, roughly chop and scatter over the toasts. Drizzle with more olive oil, if you like, and serve alongside the chicken to mop up all the juices.

RECIPE TIPS

TIP

Preserved lemons are used in North African cooking, most often in tagines. They come in a salty brine and have more of an intense, tart flavour than fresh lemons. Look out for Belazu preserved lemons, available in larger supermarkets and delis. Try preserved lemons chopped in salsas for fish and chicken.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, July 2009

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