Roast chicken with fennel and chilli salt

Name: Roast chicken with fennel and chilli salt
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 tbsp fennel seeds; 3 tsp sea salt flakes; 1½ tsp dried chilli flakes; ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper; 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest; 1 garlic clove, chopped; 60ml (¼ cup) olive oil; 1.6 kg whole chicken; 1 large lemon, washed, coarsely chopped; 3 baby fennel bulbs (400g), quartered, fronds removed and reserved; 12 baby new potatoes; 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled, squashed

April 19, 2018

Roast chicken with fennel and potatoes.Murdoch Books

Time:1-2 hoursServes:4

A recipe from the Good Food collection.

Ingredients

1 tbsp fennel seeds
3 tsp sea salt flakes
1½ tsp dried chilli flakes
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 garlic clove, chopped
60ml (¼ cup) olive oil
1.6 kg whole chicken
1 large lemon, washed, coarsely chopped
3 baby fennel bulbs (400g), quartered, fronds removed and reserved
12 baby new potatoes
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled, squashed

Method

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Step 2
Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic. Put the fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle and pound until lightly crushed. Add the salt, chilli, pepper, lemon zest and garlic and pound well. Gradually add 2 tablespoons of the oil to make a thin paste.
Step 3
Wash the chicken under cold running water, remove the neck and giblets and trim any pockets of fat, then pat dry with paper towels. Place the chopped lemon in a large roasting pan and put the chicken on top. Use your fingers to loosen the skin from the chicken breast. Rub half the fennel seed mixture under the skin. Rub the remaining mixture all over the chicken. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes.
Step 4
Toss the baby fennel, potatoes and squashed garlic in the remaining oil. Add to the roasting pan and roast for a further one hour or until the chicken is cooked through, the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced through the thickest part, and the vegetables are tender. Remove the chicken from the oven, cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with the vegetables and sprinkled with reserved fennel fronds.