This one-pot Greek roast chicken is the perfect dish for using up what’s in your cupboard …
This time of year, everyone starts looking ahead to summer, booking holidays and wishing for longer days. This dish is one I make a lot when craving something comforting but light. Stealing a few flavours from my favourite Greek salad, I turn them into this wintry one-pot roast chicken. @kittycoles
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 1.5-1.8kg whole chicken
• 2 onions or 4 banana shallots, peeled and cut into 2cm wedges
• 2 red peppers, seeds removed and cut into 2cm chunks
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
• 4 sun-dried tomatoes from a jar along with 4 tbsp of the oil
• 150g Kalamata, black or green olives, pitted
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C fan. Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
2. In a large, high-sided ovenproof cast iron casserole, add the onions, peppers, garlic, sundried tomatoes plus the oil, olives, half the dried oregano, salt and pepper, and mix.
3. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper then place half a lemon in the cavity. Lift into the pot so the chicken covers all the ingredients: this ensures everything doesn’t burn, but cooks and softens in the chicken juices. Drizzle the chicken with the olive oil. Rub it all over so the chicken is evenly coated.
4. Roast in the oven for an initial 30 minutes then remove from the oven and pour 75ml of water or white wine around the chicken. Turn down the oven to 190°C. If the vegetables need a little mix, then lift the chicken and gently mix.
5. Sprinkle the remaining dried oregano over the chicken skin, return to the oven for a further 25- 30 minutes until the onions and peppers are soft and the chicken is golden and cooked through.
6. Rest the chicken in the pot for 20 minutes before lifting out so the juices collect in the pot. If you need to, you can now place the pot on a medium heat to bubble and heat back up, adding the lemon juice and seasoning to taste.
7. I love to serve this alongside a cucumber salad dressed simply in extra virgin olive oil, with feta or Greek yoghurt, and a wedge of lemon. Adding a jar of white beans to the roast vegetables and chicken juices at the end bulks it out nicely, or you can serve with rice, potatoes or flatbreads.