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Festive roast chicken

During the winter festivities most of us host or go to more dinner parties than the rest of the year.  So we need recipes for special yet easy meals. Roast chicken can very easily be adjusted during this period, just by adding a few Christmassy spices and ingredients. Try this festive roast chicken - feel free to use other fruits or veggies, such as sweet potatoes, parsnips, figs or pears.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Resting Time 4 hours
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 4 people
Cuisine: British
Calories: 1234
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 medium free-range chicken 2kg
  • ½ apple
  • ½ mandarin
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 Tbsps. soft butter or dairy-free spread
  • ½ tsp mixed spice
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 onion
  • 2 beetroots
  • ½ butternut squash
  • 5 medium new potatoes
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp pomegranate seeds

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Put the apple, mandarin, bay leaf and thyme sprigs in the cavity of the chicken.
  3. Mix the butter or spread with the spices and salt & pepper. Rub half of it into the chicken skin (all over), then place the chicken in the middle of a large baking tray.
  4. Cut the squash and beetroots, onions into wedges, the potatoes into bite-sized chunks.
  5. Arrange these around the chicken them crumble the remaining spiced butter/spread on top.
  6. Put the tray in the middle of the oven and cook for 90 minutes, basting the veggies and chicken regularly. If the chicken is getting too brown, cover it with foil.
  7. Take the tray out of the oven and brush the chicken and veggies with maple syrup.
  8. Bake a further 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through properly (check the thighs with a skewer).
  9. Transfer the chicken to a platter, arrange the vegetables around out and scatter the pomegranate seeds all over.
  10. Ready to carve and serve.