Roast Chicken Roots With Lemon Poppy Seed Sauce Recipes

ROAST CHICKEN & ROOTS WITH LEMON & POPPY SEED SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the chicken on a large baking tray, drizzle with 1 tsp oil and season well. Cook for 20 mins.
• Toss the veg in the remaining 2 tsp oil and some seasoning, scatter around the chicken and return to the oven for 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Heat the remaining 1 tsp oil in a pan, add the shallot and poppy seeds, and cook for 5 mins. Add the paprika, chicken stock, honey, lemon zest and juice, and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the soured cream and some seasoning, bubble for 2 mins, then add half the parsley and keep warm until the chicken is ready. Remove the chicken and veg from the oven, scatter with the remaining parsley and serve with the sauce.

LEMON ROAST CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F.
• Halve the potatoes lengthwise and then cut them into three or four wedges, so that they look like chips. I used Charlotte fingerling potatoes and they were perfect, cut into quarters.
• Throw these into a shallow roaster along with the onion wedges and the chicken.
• Mix together the mustard, lemon juice, oregano (or thyme) and olive oil to make a marinade.
• Pour over the chicken, potatoes and onions. Add the bay leaves and garlic.
• Season with salt and pepper (remembering the inside of the chicken as well as the outside)
• Rub the marinade in all over the surface of the chicken and shuffling the potatoes and onions around so that they are well coated.
• Put the reserved lemon halves inside the chicken.
• Gently pour a cup of warm water into the pan, being careful not to wash any of the marinade off of the chicken or potatoes.
• Roast for one hour. At this point the chicken should be starting to brown.
• Pour the wine over the top and turn the potatoes and onions.
• Roast for another hour, turning the chicken when it is well browned on top. Check that the potatoes are still in a little liquid, you don't want them to go dry. If they seem a bit dry add a little more hot water.
• When it is done the chicken will be golden brown and juicy and cooked through and the potatoes will be meltingly tender, with a few crisp edges. There should be a little sauce left in the roaster to serve spooned over the chicken and potatoes, but if there isn't just add a bit of hot water to the dish and scrape up the tasty bits from the bottom to make more sauce.
• Serve to a very lucky family that will be scrambling for more! If this doesn't soon become your favourite way to roast chicken I'll be a monkey's uncle!

ROAST CHICKEN WITH PRESERVED LEMONS AND ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Make the brine: Fill a large stockpot with 16 cups water; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add sugar, salt, lemons, olives and their brine, parsley, garlic, peppercorns, thyme, and bay leaves; stir to dissolve sugar and salt. Remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes to infuse.
• Add ice to brine mixture to cool. If brine is not completely cold, transfer to refrigerator until cold. Add chickens to cold brine and weight down with a plate or small pot lid to keep submerged. Transfer to refrigerator and let brine 8 to 12 hours.
• Make the chicken: Cut preserved lemons into quarters. Cut flesh away from rinds, reserving both. Remove chicken from brine; discard brine. Rinse chickens and pat dry using paper towels. Place 1 chicken on work surface with legs facing you. Starting at the cavity, work the handle of a wooden spoon between skin and one breast to create a pocket, working slowly and gently to avoid tearing skin. Repeat process with other side.
• Holding chicken in place with one hand, slide index and middle fingers of your other hand into each pocket to enlarge it, then slide your fingers down to create a pocket over the thigh. Repeat entire process with second chicken.
• Insert pieces of preserved lemon rind, white pith-side down, and thyme sprigs into pockets over thighs and breasts. Sprinkle cavities with salt and rub chickens with reserved flesh from preserved lemons, scraping off any pieces of lemon flesh that stick to the chicken and discard.
• Position 1 chicken, breast side up, with legs facing you. Cut a vertical slit in one side, about 1 inch back from cavity, alongside thigh. Cross end of opposite drumstick over drumstick on this side and poke top end of drumstick through slit. Depending on condition of chicken's skin, it may rip as you try to poke the drumstick through it, so have some kitchen twine on hand just in case to tie legs together if necessary. Repeat process with other chicken. Season chickens with salt.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Make the vegetables: Place turnips, carrots, onions, parsnips, and rutabagas in a large bowl; add olive oil, thyme, garlic, and 3 pinches salt. Toss to combine. Transfer vegetables to a large roasting pan spreading in an even layer. Set a roasting rack over vegetables. Place chickens, breast-side up on roasting rack, leaving space between chickens. Chickens should not be touching vegetables, but set over them.
• Transfer roasting pan to oven; roast for 15 minutes. Spread room-temperature butter from remaining chicken ingredients over the breasts; continue roasting 30 minutes more. Roast until skin is deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh reaches 160 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let stand 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, remove rack and set roasting pan on stove over two burners. Bring cooking liquid to a simmer. Whisk in preserved lemon liquid and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in butter, piece by piece, to emulsify sauce and glaze vegetables. Stir in parsley. Serve chickens whole or carved over vegetables.

POPPY SEED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place the diced chicken breasts on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish sprayed with a nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl combine the soup, sour cream and sherry. Pour or spoon mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top.
• Mix the poppy seeds and crushed crackers and sprinkle mixture over the chicken, salt and pepper. Drizzle the melted butter or margarine over the cracker/poppyseed layer and bake covered in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes (take cover off for the last 5 minutes). Let stand a few minutes before servings.