Serve Roast Chicken Bake with Fennel, Leeks and Lemon with a platter of roast potatoes and immunity-boosting steamed greens for a no-fuss cold weather dinner. Change the flavours up with some other seasonal ingredients. Swap the lemons for Mandarins or oranges and swap the fennel seeds for some star anise, and fresh ginger instead of garlic.
Roast Chicken Bake with Fennel, Leeks and Lemon Recipe
Serves 8
Prep time: 20 Min
Cooking Time: 2 Hours
Ingredients:
2tbsp olive oil, plus ⅓ cup extra to drizzle
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced, fronds reserved
2 leeks, sliced into 1cm thick slices
2 whole chickens (about 1.5kg each)
3 lemons, cut into 1cm thick slices
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 ½ cups (375ml) chicken stock
¼ cup (60ml) white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp fennel seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Roast potatoes and steamed green beans, to serve
Method:
Preheat oven to 190º C (170º C fan forced)
Heat a frying pan on medium heat. Add half of the Olive oil; add fennel and cook just until golden on the edges; transfer to a large baking dish. Add remaining olive oil; add leek and cook until golden on one side; transfer to the roasting pan with fennel.
To prepare the chickens, stuff a few of the lemon slices into the cavity of each chicken. Place remaining lemon slices and garlic cloves in the roasting pan; pour over the chicken stock and white balsamic. Place chickens on top of the prepared vegetables; drizzle with extra olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper, sprinkle with Fennel seeds and scatter with the reserved fronds.
Place in the oven and roast for around 1.5 hours. If you have a core temp prove, place it into the thigh/leg joint and set the probe to cook to 74 C.
Remove baking dish from the oven; portion the chickens as desired. He pan juices can be reduced by straining the liquid away from the vegetables, reserving vegetables. Place the pan juices into a saucepan to simmer for 5-10 minutes, until reduced and slightly thickened.
Arrange vegetables on a platter with chicken on top, scatter with and remaining fennel fronds to garnish. Serve the pan juices in a jug on the side. Complete the meal by serving with roast potatoes and freshly steamed green beans.
Smart Tips:
Change the flavours up with some other seasonal ingredients. Swap the lemons for Mandarins or oranges and swap the fennel seeds for some star anise, and fresh ginger instead of garlic.
Use the leftover roast chicken bones as the base for a delicious home-made stock or soup.
Recipe from culinary expert Janelle Holston, from Winnings Appliances, leading kitchen and laundry specialist. Image credits: photographer Alan Benson and food stylist Emma Knowles.
