ONE TRAY ROAST CHICKEN & POTATOES

We can all do with more One Tray Bake’s in our lives and this one is a twist on your traditional roast chicken. The method for roasting the chicken on a tray above the veggies is one I learnt from Jamie Oliver so you can rest assured it works a treat and lets all of the juices drip into the veggie tray to create a beautiful gravy like mixture you can mix in at the end before serving.

Like always feel free to sub in any seasonal veggies you have on hand. If you want to make a meat free version it won’t quite be the same (you’ll be missing a gravy) but you could definitely omit the chicken and instead use lentils, white beans or chickpeas to serve with. I would just make a Dijon mustard dressing to go over the top!

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ tablespoon thyme leaves

½ tablespoon rosemary leaves, finely chopped

1 x lemon

4-6 x potatoes (cut into 3cm pieces) (I used Carisma potaotes)

1 x whole cauliflower (cut into 3cm florets)

1 x onion, cut into 1cm wedges

1 x whole chicken

1.5 cups frozen peas

 Directions

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

In a small bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, thyme leaves, rosemary leaves, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside

Take a large roasting tray and spread over the potatoes, cauliflower and onion. Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and a quick squeeze of lemon juice, then give it a quick toss.

Place the chicken on top of the veggies and then cover all over in the Dijon paste. Place any extra thyme/rosemary you have as well as half an already squeezed lemon into the cavity of the chicken.    

Transfer the chicken directly onto a rack in the oven (towards the top), with another rack underneath where you can put the tray with the veggies directly underneath the chicken to catch any juices. Cook for 1 hour, turning the veggies halfway, or until the veggies are browned and the chicken is cooked through. When there is 5 minutes remaining, scatter the peas into the tray with the veggies.

Remove the tray from the oven and sit the chicken on top for 5 minutes. Before serving be sure to tip the chicken up a bit so all of the juices from inside can be stirred through the veggies.  Carve the chicken and serve with the veggies.