Greek Roast Chicken

Total: 1 hr 20 mins

TASTING NOTES: This week’s whole organic chicken is roasted in a tin brimming with fragrant Greek flavour from juicy vine tomatoes, savoury Kalamata olives, a sunny squeeze of lemon and plenty of oregano and fresh parsley.

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Ingredients you'll need

2½5kg avg whole chicken
1½ lemon
120g kalamata olives
3 garlic cloves
4½ vine tomatoes
1½ red onion
1½ tsp dried oregano
A handful of flat leaf parsley, leaves only

From your kitchen

1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
250ml boiling water

You'll need

Large roasting tin
Measuring jug

Step by step this way

1.
Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Unwrap the chicken and remove the giblets (you can save them for making homemade stock, see our tip). Pop the chicken in a roasting tin and let it sit for 30 mins-1 hr, to come to room temperature.
2.
While the chicken is warming up, halve the lemon and insert 1 half into the chicken’s cavity. Rub the chicken all over with 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. When it’s at room temperature, slide the chicken into the oven to roast for 50 mins.
3.
Meanwhile, roughly chop the olives. Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Chop the tomatoes into wedges. Peel and thinly slice the red onion. Fill and boil your kettle.
4.
After 50 mins, add the olives, garlic, tomatoes and onions to the roasting tin, around the chicken. Add 1 tsp dried oregano and 250ml boiling water. Roast the chicken for another 30 mins, or till it’s cooked through. Check by piercing the fattest part of a leg with a knife – the juices should run clear. If not, roast for another 5-10 mins and check again.
5.
When it’s done, lift the chicken out onto a warm plate or a board, loosely cover with foil and rest for 30 mins before carving. Serve the chicken with the roast veg, drizzled with the pan juices and garnished with chopped parsley leaves and wedges of lemon.

Tip
When in Greece...
Try serving your Greek roast chicken with a fresh, crunchy salad of diced red onion, cucumber and tomatoes dressed in olive oil, a plate of fluffy flatbreads and a dish of creamy yogurt for dolloping.
Tip
Take stock
A giblet stock is easy to make – just pop the giblets in a large pan with a sliced onion, chopped carrot, celery, a bay leaf and a few sprigs of thyme and parsley. Add 2 ltrs water. Cover, bring to the boil, then simmer for 2 hrs. Strain into a sealable container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. This stock is perfect for adding to soups, risottos and gravies.

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