I love two things about this meal. Firstly, it is very rustic and reminds me of a wonderful French summer I shared with some dear French friends in Brittany. Secondly, it is so quick and simple! I can’t remember where I read about putting a lemon inside the cavity of the chicken when roasting, but since I have tried it, I have never roasted a chicken any other way. The lemon makes the chicken deliciously succulent and flavoursome. We have this meal weekly, and I can then make a weekly batch of our chicken bone broth.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 lemon (holes pricked with a sharp knife all around the lemon – this allows the flavour to be released)
• Margarine
• Spray oil (I used rice-bran oil)
• Salt & pepper (I use Himalayan salt)
• Fresh herbs (I used rosemary, sage & tarragon)
• Mixed root vegetables (I used carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes and butternut pumpkin)
• 1 brown onion
• 4 cloves of garlic – crushed
• Your choice of a side of green vegetables to serve (peas, green beans, broccoli, buk choy, etc)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Spray the roasting tin or casserole with oil
3. Insert the pre-picked lemon into the chest cavity of the chicken and fold the skin over the opening to secure the lemon
4. Place chicken in the middle of the casserole dish
5. Place chunks of margarine over the chicken (see first picture – I used 5 chunks)
6. Salt and pepper the chicken
7. Chop the root vegetables and arrange around the chicken
8. Chop onion into crescents and arrange with the root vegetables
9. Add garlic to the casserole
10. Spray vegetables with spray oil
11. Sprinkle herbs, salt & pepper over the vegetables
12. Roast in oven for 1 1/2hrs – 2hrs
13. Serve with a side of steamed green vegetables. I cover the chicken with any juices from the casserole
14. After the meal I strip the chicken carcass and use any leftover chicken and/or roasted vegetables to make sushi, or add to salads, etc. I then use the carcass and any leftover onion and garlic pieces to add to my bone broth (see previous recipe)

If you give this recipe a try please let me know how it turns out. I’m happy to troubleshoot or discuss how you could substitute these ingredients if some of the ones I’ve used aren’t suitable for your family’s sensitivities.