Our friend Julie put me onto this recipe–which originated from Jocelyn Dimbleby.
slices of peeled sweet potato roasted with the chicken for its last half hour in the oven.
The marinade has the spices turmeric and cumin whose anti-inflammatory and antioxident qualities are a plus for diabetics.
The smell wafts through the kitchen and whets the appetite.
Marinade the bird for a few hours in the fridge and roast it for an hour and a quarter.
for the marinade
Juice of a large lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic–crushed
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 free range/organic chicken (weighing about 1.4k/3lb)
For the sauce
glass of white wine
- Mix the marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
- Put the chicken in a large bowl and pour/brush/smooth over the marinade.
- Turn the bird in the marinade.
- Leave for a few hours–covered–in the fridge.
not pretty but effective!
Heat the oven to 180C/350F
- Sprinkle some salt over the bird.
- Place it, breast down, in a large roasting pan.
- Pour any marinade remaining in the bowl over the chicken.
- Add a further tablespoon of olive oil.
- Place in the middle of the oven.
- Roast for 3/4 of an hour–basting it from time to time with the juices.
- Turn the bird over for the remaining half hour.
- Let the chicken rest while you make a sauce from the juices.
- Tip the pan and spoon out all but a tablespoon of the fat.
- Add a glass of white wine and stir–dissolving the “bits” into a sauce over a low heat.
- A garlicky yogurt sauce goes well with it.
Robin Ellis 
Gorgeous! I wasn’t even the least bit hungry till I looked at those photos 🙂
Hi Robin, this looks gorgeous but what is the green vegetable mix hiding under the chicken if you don’t mind me asking! Fiona
Red Swiss Chard. Leaves and stalks cooked separately in well salted water ’til tender. Drained. Some olive oil heated in a sauté pan. Thinly sliced garlic–a couple of cloves–gently coloured in it and the chard added and turned over in the oil.
just bought your book delighted to try new but simple recipes thank you
Thank you, Robin. Was just wondering how to prepare my chicken for this evening! You have done the thinking for me and it looks scrumptious. Do you have a gas oven?
Electric me!
Thank you Thank you!!! I can’t wait to make and eat… another masterpiece + (your photos chould be hanging in a Gallery)
Hmmm,…..May have to try this one. Bought a nice free-range chicken, and some sweet potatoes today.
Thank you Robin…………anything for us veggies? x
Sounds yummy ,must try
Re: your comment to Fiona – never knew you could eat stork!!
I knew it was wrong when I wrote it down–didn’t look right. Old age! STALKS of course–thanks, Sophie-Jane.
A garlicky yogurt sauce ?
There’s a link to click on to a past post.
I made this last night and it was wonderful! The combination of lemon juice, garlic and spices was very subtle, not one flavor overpowering the other. I plan on using the leftovers in a nice salad! I recently ordered your cookbook and can hardly wait for it to arrive to try more of you sumptous cuisine….at the same time I also ordered the complete Poldark DVD’s. I must share that when I was in my late teen’s my mother introduced me to the Poldark series on Masterpiece Theater on PBS. I have been a loyal fan to Masterpiece Theater and BBC productions since.
The link didn’t work for me, but I found it. Looks great.
Oh,…and the chicken was delicious!