Pot-Roast chicken with lentils and spinach pistou

Pot-Roast chicken with lentils and spinach pistou

Serves 6

Takes

1 hour 50 mins
Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 x 1.6kg whole chicken

2 leeks, trimmed and sliced

2 celery sticks, sliced on the diagonal

1 x 230g pack baby parsnips, sliced

450ml chicken stock

1 x 250g pack ready-to-eat Puy lentils

150g baby spinach

150g freshly-podded peas

For the pistou

1 garlic clove, chopped

50g baby spinach

20g fresh basil

4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Method

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Warm the olive oil on the hob on a medium heat in a large oven proof casserole dish then add the chicken breast side down and sear until the skin is golden all over.

Turn the chicken so it is sitting breast side up, then reduce the heat to a low and add the leeks and celery.  Cook for 3 minutes then add the parsnips, stock and 500ml of water.  Bring to the boil, then cover with tightly fitting tin foil.  Transfer to the oven and cook for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and stir in the lentils.

Return to the oven, covered, for another 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.

Remove from the oven and skim most of the fat from the surface of the broth and discard.  Stir in the spinach and peas then season to taste.  Set aside for 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken from the casserole to a board, letting the liquid drain away from the cavity.  Carve the chicken into potions and return to the casserole dish to keep warm.

To make the pistou, put the garlic, spinach, basil, olive oil and tbsp. of water in a food processor.  Whizz until finely chopped then season to taste.
Nutritional information

392 Kcal

Fat 15g

Saturated Fat 3g

Sugars 5g

Salt

1.4g