This shared platter for friends is good with boiled, buttered new potatoes.
Ingredients
| 1 | Lemon, quartered |
| 2 sprigs | Fresh thyme, large ones (Main) |
| 3 cloves | Garlic, large ones, squashed |
| 1 | Free-range chicken, 1.5kg (Main) |
| 2 | Lemons, zested; juice of 1 lemon (Main) |
| 1 cup | Plain yoghurt, unsweetened (Main) |
| 4 Tbsp | Tahini (Main) |
| 1 handful | Parsley (Main) |
| 1 handful | Mint (Main) |
| 500 g | Asparagus, woody ends snapped off (Main) |
| 350 g | Green beans, stalk ends cut off (Main) |
| 2 large handfuls | Rocket leaves (Main) |
| 1 cup | Green grapes, halved (Main) |
| 75 g | Roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped |
| 2 Tbsp | Kasha, toasted buckwheat; toasted in a dry pan until just darkening in colour (Main) |
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Directions
- Heat the oven to 200C.
- Put the lemon, thyme and garlic inside the chicken and tie the legs together with natural fibre string. Tie a piece of string around the wings and the breast as well.
- Place in an ovenproof casserole dish. Add 1 litre water and the zest of 1 lemon, cover well and place in the oven for 1½hours or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer.
- Meanwhile put the yoghurt, tahini, parsley, mint and lemon juice into a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste, season and reserve in the fridge.
- When the chicken is almost ready, drop the asparagus and beans into a large saucepan of boiling water, bring back to the boil and boil gently for 3 minutes. Drain well.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the casserole, drain well and carve. (Strain, degrease and freeze the cooking liquid for further use as a stock.)
- Place the rocket on a large serving platter, place the carved chicken on top and the asparagus, beans and grapes around the chicken. Drizzle half the yoghurt sauce over the chicken (serve the rest in a bowl on the side) and sprinkle the hazelnuts, kasha and the zest from the other lemon on top.