Pop a few small chickens in the oven and you’re ready to serve a crowd of hungry eaters
Roast chicken with lentil and gooseberry salad
Ingredients
- CHICKEN
- 2 x small chickens (800g – 1kg each)
- 60g garlic butter, softened
- 45ml (3 tbsp) Gruyère, grated
- 15ml (1 tbsp) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 6 sprigs of fresh oregano
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- SALAD
- ½ large red onion, finely diced
- 1L (4 cups) cooked lentils
- 500ml (2 cups) fresh gooseberries
- 45ml (3 tbsp) fresh mint, torn
- 60ml (¼ cup) red wine vinegar
- 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
- 80ml ( cup) fresh flat-leaf parsley,finely chopped
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 220°C.
For the chicken, gently push your fingers underneath the skin of the breast and legs to loosen it from the flesh without tearing it.
Mix the garlic butter, cheese and parsley together. Spread it evenly with your fingers underneath the skin to cover as much of the chicken as possible. Place the oregano sprigs on top of the butter, tie the legs together with kitchen string and place the chicken on a roasting tray. Season.
Roast the chicken until golden, about 1 hour – 1 hour 10 minutes. Juices should run clear when pricked.
For the salad, combine all of the ingredients together and season.
Carve the chickens and serve with the fresh lentil salad.
