Herby roast chicken with roasted vegetables recipe

There’s something homely and comforting about the aroma of a roasting chicken – it’s guaranteed to make your mouth water and this recipe is deliciously tasty and very moist. Ideal for the Sunday roast for the family or for a special occasion this recipe really fits the bill.

Ingredients

• 1 medium chicken weighing about 1.6kg
• 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 leeks, trimmed and thickly sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100ml white wine or chicken stock

For the herb butter

• 75g butter, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, leaves only
• 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• Grated zest of 1 small lemon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190⁰C/ 375⁰F / Fan 170⁰C / Gas Mark 5
2. Undo the string from around the chicken legs and pull them outwards slightly to free them. Set aside.
3. Put the vegetables into a large roasting tin and drizzle on the olive oil. Use your hands to thoroughly coat the vegetables as evenly as you can.
4. Pour the wine or chicken stock over the vegetables.
5. Put the butter into a small bowl and add the parsley, thyme, tarragon, garlic and lemon zest.
6. Beat the ingredients together until they are very well combined.
7. Loosen the skin of the chicken where the breast begins and pull the skin gently from the flesh. Slide your fingers between the skin and breast as far as you can on either side of the breast bone without tearing the skin.
8. Take spoonfuls of the herb butter and gently massage it under the skin, covering as much as possible. Pat down the skin and smooth it over. Spread any remaining butter over the outside of the chicken.
9. Season the chicken with the salt and freshly ground black pepper.
10. Put the chicken on top of the vegetables, moving them around to make a space for the chicken.
11. Put the lemon halves inside the chicken cavity.
12. Roast for 1 hour 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the chicken fully cooked and golden or until the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part.
13. Leave the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before serving.