Fragrant roast chicken

A great make ahead roast – it’s delicous cold, or eat it straight out of the oven. Yum

  • Prep:10 mins
    Cook:1 hrs 15 mins
  • Serves 6
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 379
  • fat 28g
  • saturates 12g
  • carbs 3g
  • sugars 2g
  • fibre 0g
  • protein 29g
  • salt 1.96g

Ingredients

  • 1 large chicken, about 1.8kg/4lb
  • 2 lemons, halved
  • 2 heads of garlic, halved across the middle, plus 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 50g butter, softened
  • 2 tsp Ras-el-hanout spices mix
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika, optional
  • 200g pot Greek yogurt

Method

  1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put ½ a lemon and ½ a garlic head into the chicken’s cavity, then put into a roasting tray. Mix butter, garlic and half the spices and spread over chicken breast and legs. Season well. Can be prepared up to a day ahead and kept covered in the fridge. Put the remaining garlic into the tray and roast chicken for 1 hr. Mix remaining spices into yogurt and season.

  2. Remove chicken from oven and smother with yogurt. Spoon some of the juices over, add the remaining lemon to the tray, then roast for 15 mins or until the yogurt is golden and set and the juices run clear. Lift chicken onto a board, cover and rest for 10 mins before carving. Serve hot or cold.

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