Yoghurt Roast Chicken with Golden Crunchy Potatoes and Broccolini
Serves: 4
Time: approx 90 minutes
Roast chicken dinners never get old and maybe that's because there are so many subtle changes that you can make to create a delicious new experience. Tonight's chicken is getting marinated in yoghurt and is next-level tasty!!! But equally, one could argue that the star of this dinner is the potatoes which require a bit of cooking time. I always say if you are going to eat potatoes then make them absolutely frickin delicious, don't waste a naughty on something half-arsed.
Leftovers for Lunch
Roast dinners are fantastic for leftovers, if you don’t have access to a microwave or an oven you might find it easier to strip the meat off the chicken tonight while it’s still warm.
What you'll need
6 medium sized desiree potatoes
1 medium sized free range chicken
3/4 cup greek yoghurt
1/2 bunch oregano
1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
2 bunches broccolini
100g butter
From the pantry
olive oil
a handful of raw almonds
sea salt flakes
Prep and Cook
Marinate Chicken
This can be done days in advance, peel and roughly crush the garlic cloves, wash and roughly chop the oregano removing any large woody ends and zest the lemon, combine all together in a bowl with the yoghurt and some salt and pepper and mix well.
take the chicken out of the wrapping and use either a strong pair of kitchen scissors or a sharp knife to cut out the spine of the chicken.
Rub the marinade all over the chicken then place the chicken in the bowl and cover with cling wrap, leave for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight.
How To Remove The Back Bone/Spine
First you need to know where this is, so the breast of the chicken is the side which has all that lovely white plump meat all over it, if you flip the chicken over the other side is the back. Now turn the chicken around so the back facing up. If you run your hand down the back you will be able to feel the back bone run the whole way down. When using scissors you want to spin the chicken so that the neck which will often be poking out the top hole is facing you, then use the scissors to chop along the right side of the spine all the way through to the end, the bones are actually softer than what you might expect. Then do the same along the left side of the spine. If using a knife I like to stand the chicken up so that the spine is vertical and carve down the side of the spine with my knife in a small sawing motion.
Preheat ovet to 200c
Cook Potatoes
Peel the potatoes and cut each potato into quarters and place in a large pot, cover completely with cold water, a couple of pinches of salt and put on the stove to boil.
Cook until a fork will easily puncture the potatoes but not cooked right through; this will take around 20 minutes from the time you turn them on.
Drain into a colander then shake the potatoes so that rough up the outside.
Spread out on an oven tray lined with baking paper and drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Cook for 20 minutes then remove and turn over, return to the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes.
Melt 100g butter and then leave to settle so that the clarified butter separates from the buttermilk.
Use a pastry brush or a dessert spoon to baste the potatoes with the clarified butter generously. Return to the oven for another 20 minutes. Turn once more after 10 minutes and use any remaining butter.
Then when ready sprinkle liberally with sea salt flakes
Cook Chicken
Place chicken on a baking tray and drizzle generously with olive oil. Grill chicken for 10 minutes, just long enough to get some colour going on the top. Then turn oven to bake mode and cook for a further 40 minutes or until the juices run clear (cooking time will vary depending on size so it’s always imperative to check the chook is cooked. To do this I open up one side and check between the leg and the breast if the meat is still pink or the juice still pink then it needs more time if the meat is nice and white and all the juices run clear your chook is cooked).
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before carving.
Cook Broccolini
Put a medium-sized pot of water on to boil with a pinch of salt and a splash of olive oil.
Cut off the woody tips on the broccolini and drop into boiling water for around 20 seconds.
In a small frypan melt 1 tablespoon of butter, roughly chop the almonds and toss in the melted butter. Add the cooked broccolini and season well.
Plate it Pretty
The whole chicken looks great presented at the table as is so today I have simply served it up on the roasting tray with the roasted potatoes scattered around the outside. Slice the remainder of the lemon and dot it around the tray then place on a large chopping board on the table with the broccolini in a nice bowl beside.
Enjoy!
Lunch tomorrow
If you will be eating lunch cold it would be a good idea to strip your chicken off the bone while it is still warm.