Serves 4 to 6 · about 1 hr 40 mins · Uses: 1 organic whole chicken
Sticky, spiced and bright. Carve it at the table and let everyone tear into the flatbreads.
From the butchers
Our organic chickens grow slowly and live properly, and you can taste it: firmer meat, more flavour and a deeper colour to the skin. Organic chicken also has a naturally stronger smell than supermarket birds when you open the pack. That's normal, not a sign anything is wrong.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (any of our sizes, 1.4kg to 2kg)
- 3 tbsp rose harissa
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- 2 preserved lemons, flesh removed, rind finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 red onions, cut into wedges
- 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
To serve: thick Greek yoghurt, chopped coriander and mint, pomegranate seeds and warm flatbreads.
Method
- Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
- Mix the harissa, honey, preserved lemon, garlic, cumin and 2 tbsp of the oil. Loosen the skin over the breasts and push a third of the mixture underneath, then rub the rest all over.
- Toss the onions and chickpeas with the remaining oil in a roasting tin and sit the chicken on top.
- Roast, basting halfway: about 1 hour for a 1.4–1.6kg bird, 1 hour 15 for 1.6–1.8kg, and 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 30 for 1.8–2kg. Start checking 10 minutes early and cover loosely with foil if the glaze darkens too quickly. It's ready when the juices run clear and the thickest part of the thigh reads 75°C.
- Rest for 15 minutes. Carve and serve on the onions and chickpeas with the yoghurt, herbs, pomegranate and flatbreads.
Allergens: milk (yoghurt), gluten (flatbreads). Check your harissa label, as some contain other allergens.
Thank you from the farmers and butchers.
