Spring Roast Chicken Food

SPRING ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the chicken thighs in a large shallow roasting tin, season and toss with the olive oil, lemon zest and wedges, shallots, rosemary and tarragon. Arrange the chicken thighs, skin-side up, and roast for 40-50 mins until the skin is crisp and golden.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the asparagus for 3 mins or until tender, adding the courgettes and peas for the final minute.
• Drain the vegetables and toss in with the chicken, coating well with the cooking juices. Crumble over the feta and serve.

THE BEST ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle generously with at least 4 teaspoons salt all over the outside of the bird and inside the cavity. Let the chicken sit at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the salt to penetrate. Or you can refrigerate it, uncovered, up to 1 day ahead.
• Set a wire rack inside a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
• Toss the lemon wedges, garlic and herbs with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Stuff the lemons, garlic and herbs in the cavity of the chicken. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips underneath the back. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet. If you refrigerated the chicken, let it sit at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour before roasting.
• Just before roasting, brush the oil over the entire outside of the chicken (but don't worry about the bottom), making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies so they evenly brown. Roast the chicken, rotating the baking sheet after 35 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and crispy and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155 degrees F, 70 to 80 minutes (the temperature will climb to 165 degrees as the chicken rests).
• Let the chicken rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes (do not tent with foil or the chicken will overcook and the skin will get soggy).
• Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and discard the lemons, garlic and herbs. Carve into serving pieces.

ALL-IN-ONE SPRING ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Sit the chicken in a good-sized roasting dish or tin. Push your fingers between the breast and skin to separate, push in some of the softened butter and gently spread over the breasts without tearing the skin. Rub the rest of the butter all over the outside of the chicken. Season well and roast for 30 mins.
• Toss the new potatoes with the olive oil and plenty of seasoning. When the chicken comes out, scatter the spuds around it and toss with the juices in the dish, too. Put back in the oven for another 30 mins.
• Stir the carrots into the potatoes and put back into the oven for another 20 mins.
• Check the chicken is cooked by piercing the thigh and making sure the juices run clear. Stir the broad beans and peas into the other veg with a splash of water and put back in the oven for 5 mins. Remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 mins. Scatter over and stir in the herbs before serving.

SHEET PAN SPRING CHICKEN DINNER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• For the chicken and spring vegetables: Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, dill, parsley and garlic together in a large bowl. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the marinade. Add the chicken to the bowl with the remaining marinade and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Toss the carrots and 1 tablespoon of the reserved marinade in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and put on a sheet pan, skin-side up. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Scatter the carrots around the chicken in a single layer; reserve the bowl. Roast the chicken and vegetables until the chicken turns opaque on the outside, about 15 minutes.
• Toss the potatoes and scallions with the remaining 1 tablespoon marinade in the reserved bowl used for the carrots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Remove the sheet pan from the oven and scatter the potatoes and scallions in a single layer around the chicken. Continue to roast until the vegetables are tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the chicken (avoiding the bone) registers 165 degrees F, about 30 minutes more.
• For the Dijon herb sauce: Meanwhile, whisk together the Dijon and olive oil in a small bowl. Add the dill, parsley and 3 tablespoons cold water and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, divide the chicken and vegetables among 4 plates and drizzle each with some of the sauce.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH SPRING VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper, then place skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Squeeze 1/2 lemon over the chicken and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the potatoes and radishes in half and cut the scallions into thirds. Toss the potatoes, radishes, carrots and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Remove the chicken from the oven and scatter the vegetables around it. Continue to roast until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is golden and cooked through, about 20 more minutes. Squeeze the remaining 1/2 lemon over the chicken and vegetables. Top with the dill and season with salt.

SPRING ONE-POT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove any string from the chicken and sit in a large roasting tin or a baking dish, with plenty of space around it.
• Mash 2 tbsp of the mascarpone with the lemon zest, 1 tbsp of the tarragon and some seasoning. Slip your hand beneath the chicken skin to pull it away from the meat, then spread the mixture beneath the skin in a thin layer. Spoon another 3 tbsp mascarpone into the cavity of the chicken, to melt in with the roasting juices and enrich the sauce later on. Rub 2 tbsp olive oil into the skin, season well with sea salt, then loosely tie the legs together with butcher's string. Roast for 20 mins.
• Aarrange the potatoes and the garlic around the chicken, drizzle over another 1 tbsp oil and cook for another 30 mins.
• Toss the radishes and whole spring onions into the dish, in and around the potatoes, coating everything in the fat, then roast for another 25 mins. The potatoes and radishes will be golden and tender, and the chicken should be cooked through. Remove the chicken from the tin, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest.
• Pour off or spoon away the excess oil from the tin. Stir the remaining mascarpone (about 150g) with the stock in a jug until lump-free, then pour into the tin and bubble on the hob for few minutes, stirring to coat the potatoes and veg. Squeeze over some lemon juice and season.
• Stir in the peas, spring greens and most of the remaining tarragon, and bubble for a few more minutes until bright green. Sit the chicken back in the middle of the tin to serve and scatter over the reserved tarragon.