Roast chicken with sweet potato gremolata salad

Roast a whole chicken for this low-calorie lunch or dinner and save the leftovers for later – swap the chicken with hard-boiled eggs for a vegetarian version.

  • Prep:15 mins
    Cook:1 hrs 10 mins
  • Serves 2
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 477
  • fat 8g
  • saturates 1g
  • carbs 65g
  • sugars 37g
  • fibre 14g
  • protein 29g
  • salt 0.6g

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon
  • 1½ kg whole chicken (free-range or organic), fat from inside the neck cavity removed
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves (reserve the stalks)
  • 2 sweet potatoes (175g/6oz each)
  • 2 red onions, cut into wedges
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 7 whole garlic cloves
  • 2 tsp extra virgin rapeseed oil
  • 125g bag baby spinach, washed
  • 4 heaped tbsp pomegranate seeds

Tip

Chicken?

Roast a whole chicken for this recipe and use the rest later in the week – or you could use 140g pre-cooked chicken, or poach a large breast instead. 

Make it vegetarian

For a meat-free version, replace the chicken with two hard-boiled eggs with runny yolks per person.

Method

  1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Grate the zest and squeeze the juice from the lemon into 2 bowls, then push the wedges inside the cavity of the chicken with the parsley stalks. Put the chicken in a roasting tin and roast for 30 mins.

  2. Meanwhile, scrub the sweet potatoes (no need to peel) and cut into chunks. Put in another roasting tin with the onions, fennel, and 6 whole garlic cloves, then toss with the oil. When the chicken has had its 30 mins, put the potatoes in the oven and roast for 30-40 mins more.

  3. Meanwhile, finely chop the remaining garlic clove for the gremolata, then mix with the lemon zest and parsley. Mix the lemon juice, oil and some black pepper in a bowl.

  4. Remove the chicken and potatoes from the oven. Cover the chicken and leave to rest. Stir half the gremolata mix into the lemon juice and oil. Stir the spinach through the potato mix and return to the oven for 2 mins to wilt. Tip into the lemon dressing and toss well. Carve a chunk of breast meat from the chicken (you need about 140g), remove the skin, then cut into pieces. Toss into the salad with the pomegranate seeds, then serve scattered with the remaining gremolata.

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