Tarragon and Lemon are a lovely flavour partnership, that works beautifully well with roast Chicken. The mild aniseed flavour cuts through the richness of the succulent chicken to create a perfect roast that adds some light to even the dullest of Winter days.
Ingredients
Whole chicken (1.6kg)
1 large lemon
2 teaspoons of dried Tarragon
1 onion or 2 shallots
2 garlic cloves
Rapeseed oil
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Potatoes cut into 1-2 cm chunks (skin on)
300ml of chicken stock (a cube will do)
Tablespoon of plain flour
Teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
Method
Preheat the oven at 180c fan (or the equivalents). Now take your chicken out the fridge and snip and take off any string or ties around the legs. Place in a solid high sided baking tray or dish. Now drizzle over a good amount of oil to lightly coat the whole chicken, next sprinkle over the Tarragon and save half a teaspoon and place inside the cavity. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the chicken and place the 2 halves inside the cavity along with 2 mashed garlic cloves and the onion/shallots. Seasoned the chicken with the sea salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes have elapsed drained any juice and fat and set aside, add the chopped potatoes around the chicken and baste the chicken and potatoes in any fat that has gathered in the tray. Place back into the oven for an hour. Remove from the oven and take the chicken out cover with foil and rest on a chopping board for 10 minutes, leave the potatoes in the roasting tin. Now using the reserved juices and fat make your gravy, add the juices to a saucepan along with tablespoon of plain flour combine and gradually add 300ml of chicken stock (a stock cube will do), the mustard and heat until the gravy has thickened.
I like to serve this with fresh greens, such as steam broccoli or lightly roasted kale. Carved, plate and enjoy.
