One Pan Lemon & Herb Chicken Roast

 

 

A quick and easy roast for midweek or Sunday lunch with hardly any washing up!
Serves 4. Ready in 1 hour 30 minutes

 

 

Ingredients
• 50g butter, softened
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped mixed herbs (see Tip)
• 2 lemons
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 chicken thigh portions
• 500g baby potatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp virgin olive oil
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, broken into small sprigs

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Place the butter in a bowl and beat in the garlic, mixed herbs and the zest and 1 tbsp juice from one of the lemons. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Ease the skin away from the chicken thigh portions and gently push about 1 tsp of the herb and garlic butter under the skin of each portion then smooth the skin back down. Place all the chicken portions in a large roasting tin.
3. Toss the potatoes in half the olive oil and season. Scatter around the chicken along with the rosemary sprigs. Cut the second lemon into thin wedges and nestle them in between then chicken and potatoes. Drizzle over the rest of the olive oil.
4. Roast in the pre-heated oven for 55 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes until the chicken is golden and cooked though and the potatoes are crisp and tender, turning the potatoes and basting the chicken with the pan juices once or twice. Serve from the roasting tin with steamed green vegetables, if liked.

TIP
You can use any combination of mixed herbs for the garlic and herb butter – thyme, parsley and oregano all go particularly well with chicken. Or just choose one strongly flavoured herb such as tarragon.