Spatchcock Chicken ‘The Soanes Way’

Main courseServes 6

There are few things in life as delicious as a roast chicken and this tasty recipe from East Yorkshire based Soanes Poultry really hits the spot! Still celebrating after picking up a number of coveted stars the Great Taste Awards earlier this month for both their grain fed whole chicken and Yorkshire chicken supreme, this simple recipe is perfect with the cooler weather that’s on the way and showcases these tasty birds to perfection! For more information and recipe inspiration visit www.soanespoultry.co.uk

Ingredients

2kg+ whole Soanes chicken, spatchcocked

2 onions

1 leek, sliced lengthways

2 carrots, cut into batons

400g baby new potatoes

Thyme to garnish

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
  2. Peel and halve the onions and place in the bottom of a roasting tin or casserole dish.
  3. Prepare the chicken according to taste (we like to add a small amount of butter to the skin and simply season with salt, pepper and thyme) and place on top of the onions.
  4. Add water to a depth of 1cm to the bottom of the tin/dish.
  5. Cover the chicken with parchment (not foil) and tuck it in around and under the chicken.
  6. Cook the chicken for 30 minutes then add the prepared vegetables beneath the parchment.
  7. Cook for a further 30 minutes before checking that the meat is cooked by inserting a skewer into the thigh of the chicken. If the juices do not run clear, re-cover with the parchment and place back in the oven for a further 10 minutes and repeat until the juices run clear.
  8. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the parchment and increase the oven temperature to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7.
  9. Cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the chicken and vegetables are golden brown.
  10. Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer to a carving tray for 15 minutes before serving. Return the vegetables to the oven whilst the chicken is resting.