Categories: April

Ingredients

• 1.5kg organic chicken
• 25g butter, softened
• maldon sea salt
• 4 rashers streaky bacon
• 1 lemon, halved
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 small onions, cut into quarters
• 4 small organic carrots, cut into chunks
• 5 stalks celery, washed and thickly sliced
• heart of a spring cabbage (the yellow firm bit), washed and quartered
• 6 vine tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 4 tbsp dry white wine
• 300ml chicken stock
• 4 heaped tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/fan 180˚C/gas 6.

2. Smear the chicken with the butter and season with ground black pepper and a little sea salt. Place in a deep, heavy-based ovenproof dish and lay the rashers of bacon over the bird. Squeeze half of the lemon over the chicken and put the other half inside the cavity, along with the garlic and herbs (not the parsley). Roast for 20 minutes, then remove the bacon and put to one side – you can serve this with the dish once it’s all cooked.

3. Return the chicken to the oven for another 35 minutes, basting from time to time to keep the bird moist, but slowly turning golden brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 180˚C/fan 160˚C/gas 4.

4. Lift the chicken out of the dish (don’t be alarmed as you will be cooking the chicken some more later) and place to one side. Pour all the juices from the bird back into the dish. Pop the vegetables and tomato into the juices, stir in the wine and stock then place on the top shelf of the oven for 20 minutes.

5. While it is simmering, cut the chicken into eight pieces, then add to the vegetables (throw away the lemon, as it has served its purpose, but keep everything else) making sure they’re coated in the liquid. Cover with foil and return to the oven for 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the vegetables are cooked. Throw in the parsley and serve from the pot – complete comfort food.

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