Lulu’s roast chicken with ginger, pasta, tomatoes and the roasting juices
(from Elyce123’s recipe box)
Source: delicious. February 2004
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 100 minutes
Serves 4 people
Categories: February
Ingredients
- 450g vine-ripened tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1.5kg free-range chicken
- 1 tbsp finely grated fresh root ginger
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 50ml dry white wine
- 350g penne
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed, then chopped
- large handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 230˚C/fan 210˚C/gas 8. Peel, deseed and coarsely chop the tomatoes. Toss them in a colander withe the salt and set aside for 1 hour.
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Season the inside of the chicken cavity with salt and pepper, then smear the inside with the grated ginger. Put the chicken into a roasting tin, rub all over with a little of the olive oil and season with some salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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t the chicken for 20 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 180˚C/fan 160˚C/gas 4. Discard the excess fat from the roasting tin by pouring it off then pour in a little lemon juice over the chicken. Return the chicken to the oven and roast for a further 45 minutes, basting now and then with the rest of the lemon juice and then the white wine, until the juices run clear when pierced with a skewer.
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15 minutes before the chicken is ready, cook the pasta in plenty of well-salted (1 teaspoon per 600ml) boiling water for about 12 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until al dente.
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Meanwhile, put the rest of the olive oil and the garlic into a large frying pan and place it over a high heat. As soon as the garlic starts to sizzle, add the tomatoes and toss over a high heat until they are dry and give off a nice caramelised smell. Add the basil, toss again and remove from the heat.
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Drain the pasta well. Remove the chicken from the oven, lift it out on to a board and pour away any excess fat from the tin, if necessary. Add the tomatoes, cooked pasta and a little black pepper to the roasting tin and turn everything together well so as to release all the roasting juices from the base of the tin.
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Carve the roast chicken, then divide between four warm serving plates. Spoon some of the pasta alongside and serve with a green salad.