Chicken
Winter pot roast chicken and celeriac
A pot roast is a great simple way with chicken: the bird sits on a pile of veg which soak up its juices as they cook. There's very little washing up and the meat stays succulent and tender. This is a good, easy meal which can be eaten on its own. For a bigger spread it pairs well with creamy mashed potatoes or pearled spelt or barley and sautéed greens.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp thyme leaves
- 50g butter, at room temperature
- 1 small chicken, around 1.6kg
- 1 lemon, halved
- ½ large or 1 small celeriac, cut into rough chunks, about 5cm
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 2 leeks, halved and cut into thick slices
- 4 small or 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed or finely chopped
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ bottle Ashridge cider (the rest is a cook's perk!)
- 500ml chicken stock
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 5.
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Step 2
In a small bowl, squidge the thyme leaves into the butter. Carefully push the butter between the chicken skin and breast, taking care not to rip the skin.
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Step 3
Gently press your fingers over the top of the skin so the butter gets evenly distributed over the meat. Again, take care not to break the skin. Pop the lemon halves into the chicken cavity.
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Step 4
Put the celeriac, carrots, leeks, garlic, rosemary and bay leaves in a large casserole dish and place the chicken on top.
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Step 5
Warm the cider and stock in a small pan, then pour over the chicken. Season with salt and pepper, cover and roast for 1 hour.
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Step 6
Remove the lid and cook for 30-45 minutes, until the chicken is golden, and the meat cooked through (no pink juices remain). Remove the chicken and strain the veg into a colander over a large pan to catch the cooking liquid.
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Step 7
Keep the veg in a warm place. Boil the reserved cooking liquid to reduce it by about half, to make the sauce. Check the seasoning.
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Step 8
Put the chicken and veg back in the casserole dish. Gently warm through on the hob (or just pour the warm sauce over the top if the dish is not flameproof), then serve at the table, to share.