Roasted chicken and fennel
Roast chicken is one of the most popular family dishes for a midweek supper or Sunday lunch. Over the years I have tried out many recipes – almost all were really yummy and easy! This roasted chicken and fennel is incredibly easy to put together, you can’t really go wrong with it! I served it with mashed sweet potatoes and steamed green vegetables – but mashed potatoes, salad and roasted veggies would also be suitable.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Cut the fennel into long, chunky wedges.
- Crush the fennel seeds using pestle& mortar, then add the garlic and crush again. Add the butter/spread lemon zest, plenty of salt & black pepper. Mix to a paste.
- Put the chicken in a large baking tray and scatter the fennel around it.
- Using your hands, rub the chicken all over with the spiced butter (including the cavity), then the fennel wedges. Put the chicken breast-side down into the tray.
- Cut the lemon in half, put one half in the cavity and squeeze the other half over the fennel.
- Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, then take the tray out, turn over the chicken, letting the lemon juice out of the cavity. Pour the wine/stock over the fennel, baste well and put the tray back in the oven.
- Roast for another 70-90 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is golden brown (check with a skewer – if clear juices are running out of the thighs, it’s cooked through). Do baste the chicken and fennel a few times during roasting!
- Remove the chicken onto a plate, cover with foil and kitchen towel to keep warm.
- Put the fennel into a serving dish.
- Reduce cooking sauce into a thick gravy.
- Carve the chicken and serve with the roasted fennel, gravy and side dishes of your choice.