Open Roast Chicken with Vegetables
Here is a wonderful recipe for fast cooking, always-moist succulent roast chicken. You will need a pair of kitchen scissors or secateurs.
1 Free range chicken
3 carrots
2 parsnips
2 large onions
2 kumara (sweet potato)
3 large potatoes
1 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 cup white wine
Sea salt
Optional additions: Add olives, capers, sundried tomatoes, and marinated red peppers to the vegetables before cooking.
Heat oven to 200 C.
Chop all vegetables into bite-size chunks. Place in a large, deep roasting pan. Sprinkle on the dried basil, ½ tsp sea salt and 2 Tbsp olive oil. Toss with your hands. Put the pan in the oven for about 20 minutes, until vegetables are just starting to soften.
Meanwhile prepare the chicken. Remove loose fat and skin from around the neck and bottom. Place chicken breast side down on the chopping board. Using kitchen scissors remove the backbone by cutting from the neck to rear, as fairly close to the backbone. Flatten the chicken.
Pour about a cup of wine over the vegetables. Place chicken skin side up on top of the vegetables. Rub a little olive oil on the chicken and sprinkle with salt and (perhaps) paprika.
Reduce oven to 180 C and put back the roasting tray. Bake until chicken is cooked – about 30 minutes. Check by pricking the chicken at the thickest place (like the breast) and see that the juice that runs out is clear.
