Spring chicken roast dinner
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photography by Ant Duncan
Spring chicken roast dinner
Reinvent the Sunday roast with this lighter take featuring seasonal veg cooked around the bird, and a zesty soured cream sauce
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
710Kcal
Fat
30gr
Saturates
13gr
Carbs
34gr
Sugars
7gr
Fibre
7gr
Protein
71gr
Salt
0.8gr
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, about 1.7kg
- 2 lemons
- 1 tbsp chopped thyme, plus a few sprigs
- 25g soft butter
- 1 garlic bulb, left whole
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 750g Anya potatoes or Jersey Royals (halved if large)
- 200g purple sprouting or Tenderstem broccoli
- 250g asparagus spears
- 200g radishes, halved if large
- 200ml soured cream
- ½ x 20g pack chives, chopped
Step by step
- Remove the chicken from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 6.
- Grate the zest from both lemons and cut the lemons in half. Mash half the zest, some seasoning and the chopped thyme into the soft butter, then spread this all over the chicken and place it in a large roasting tin. Set aside the rest of the zest for the sauce.
- Slice a quarter off the top of the garlic bulb and push the cut-off top, 1 lemon half and the thyme sprigs inside the chicken cavity. Put the rest of the garlic bulb in a square of foil, drizzle with ½ tablespoon of olive oil, wrap loosely then add to the roasting tin. Roast for 30 minutes, then remove the garlic bulb if the cloves are soft. Baste the chicken and roast for another 15 minutes.
- Toss the potatoes and 2 lemon halves with ½ tablespoon of olive oil and some seasoning then add these to the roasting tin around the bird, stirring to coat in the buttery juices. Roast for a further 45 minutes or until the chicken is ready (the juices should run clear when the thickest part of the leg is pierced).
- While the chicken and potatoes are roasting, trim the broccoli and asparagus, halving any particularly chunky broccoli stalks lengthways. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and seasoning to coat. Remove the chicken to a platter, cover loosely with foil and keep warm. Stir the radishes in with the potatoes and lemons, then add the broccoli and asparagus on top. Roast for 15 minutes or until tender.
- Meanwhile, squeeze the soft garlic cloves into a bowl and mash to a purée. Mix in the soured cream, most of the chives, seasoning, the reserved lemon zest and a squeeze of juice from the remaining lemon half to taste.
- Surround the chicken with the roasted vegetables to serve and scatter with the rest of the chives. Carve and serve with the zesty soured cream.
