Mediterranean Lemon Chicken
At the end of a weekend something to eat which requires very little thought and stress is often a very good call. This basic roast mediterranean lemon chicken ticks all the boxes for such a meal. Delicious hot and equally as tasty cold the next day, if there are any leftovers. I like to butterfly or spatchcock the chicken as it allows all of the chicken to soak in all the flavours and cooking juices.
Enjoy.
6
20 minutes
1 hour +
200°C
Ingredients
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2 x medium fresh chicken- fat trimmed and removed, then cut in half (spatchcock)
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4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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250ml balsamic vinegar
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1 bulb garlic- broken into cloves, peeled, left whole
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Large handful of fresh basil leaves (approx 30g)- torn
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2-3 medium lemons- peel removed on 2 and other cut into chunks, use juice
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650g waxy potatoes- peeled and cut into small chunks
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Freshly ground black pepper
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Sea salt
Instructions
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Prepare chicken:
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01 Remove fat, excess skin and cut in half down the backbone. Flatten.
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Prepare vegetables:
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02 Remove peel from 2 lemons and cut all into chunks. Remove outer skin from garlic. Peel and chunk potatoes.
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Assemble to roast and cook:
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03 Lay the chicken in the roasting pan and top with lemons, potatoes and garlic, pouring enough oil over the top to make a shallow pool in the tin. Add the balsamic vinegar and make sure you squeeze the lemon chunks to allow the juice to run over everything. Add peel etc and season well with plenty of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper before roasting.
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Half way through cooking (say 30 minutes or so):
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04 Remove the chicken from the oven and scatter all the torn basil over everything. Push into the juices. Baste the chicken and replace back into the oven and roast until chicken is golden and potatoes soft.
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Serve:
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05 Take to the table hot and enjoy with your favourite salad or vegetable.
Notes
Use waxy potatoes as they hold their shape whilst absorbing roasting juices. Small, firm new potatoes work well also.
