Roast chicken with salsa verde courgettes
Masterchef: The Professionals finalist Philli Armitage-Mattin jazzes up quick roast chicken with tender courgettes and a punchy green salsa verde.
Ingredients
- 1 small chicken, spatch-cocked and cut in half through the breastbone
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, halved
- 4 large courgettes, sliced (a mix of yellow and green)
- salt
For the salsa verde
- 2 tbsp capers in vinegar
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 2 small garlic cloves, peeled
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Sprinkle the chicken liberally with sea salt all over and set aside in the fridge for an hour, or overnight if possible.
Add a tablespoon of oil to a large cast-iron (or heavy oven-proof) frying pan set over a high heat. Add the chicken and the lemon halves (cut-side down) and fry for 5 minutes on both sides until golden-brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Add the courgettes to the pan and cook for about 5-8 minutes or until the courgettes are beginning to brown. Return the chicken to the pan, skin-side up, and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the salsa verde by blending all the ingredients in a hand blender to a rough sauce. Taste and adjust by adding a little more salt or vinegar, to taste. Set aside.
Turn the oven up to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Remove the chicken from the pan, drizzle most of the salsa verde over the courgettes, reserving a tablespoon or so. Put the chicken back on top of the courgettes and roast for a final 5-10 minutes, or until cooked through.
To serve, put the courgettes onto a large serving platter and place the chicken on top. Top with the remaining salsa verde.
Recipe Tips
You can salt the chicken a day in advance, if you like. It will be even better.