Ingredients
- 2kg whole free-range chicken
- 1 lemon, halved
- 6 thyme sprigs
- 25g butter, softened
- 500g baby potatoes
- 400g brussels sprouts, trimmed and tough outer leaves removed
- 300g frozen peeled chestnuts, thawed
- 2 bacon slices, cut crossways into 2.5cm pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup dry white wine
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Remove any fat from the cavity of the chicken. Rinse the chicken and pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Place the lemon halves and thyme sprigs inside the chicken and close the cavity with a small skewer or sturdy cocktail sticks. Tuck the wings under the bird and tie the legs securely with kitchen string.
3. Rub the chicken all over with the butter. Place in a roasting tin, breast side down, and bake for 45 minutes. Turn the chicken over, then arrange the potatoes around the chicken and bake for a further 20 minutes.
4. Add the brussels sprouts, chestnuts and bacon to the roasting tin, then sprinkle the vegetables with the garlic and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes. Pour in the wine and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
5. Remove the chicken and transfer to a warm plate. Cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Turn the oven off but leave the vegetables in the oven to keep warm.
6. Carve the chicken and spoon the pan juices over. Serve with the chestnuts, bacon and the roasted vegetables.
