zoom Claudia Roden's Roast chicken with nutty bulgur pilaf

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    Claudia Roden's Roast chicken with nutty bulgur pilaf

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    Claudia Roden's Roast chicken with nutty bulgur pilaf

    • Preparation time: 25 minutes, plus soaking
    • Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    • Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes, plus soaking

    Serves: 4-6

    Ingredients

    1 whole chicken (about 1.6kg)
    2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
    ½ lemon, juice (shell reserved)
    handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

    BULGUR PILAF
    1 large onion, sliced
    2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
    500ml chicken stock
    1½ tsp ground cinnamon
    ½ tsp ground allspice
    ½ tsp ground coriander
    250g bulgur wheat
    50g salted butter, cut into pieces
    50g walnuts, roughly chopped
    100g vacuum-packed whole chestnuts, halved
    50g raisins, soaked in water for 15 minutes then drained

    YOGURT SAUCE
    200g Greek yogurt
    ½ lemon, zest and juice
    ½ orange, zest
    1 garlic clove, crushed (optional)

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C, gas mark 6. Rub the chicken with the oil and lemon juice, season and push the squeezed lemon shell inside the cavity. Put the chicken, breast-side down, in a roasting tin and pour in about 5 tbsp water. Roast for 1 hour then turn the chicken breast-side up and roast for another 15-20 minutes, until the skin is crisp and brown, and the juices run clear when you cut into the bird between the leg and the body with a knife.

    2. Meanwhile, for the pilaf, fry the onion in the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, covered, for about 20 minutes until the onions are brown and caramelised. Stir often, uncovering towards the end.

    3. At the same time, bring the chicken stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Stir in the ground cinnamon, allspice and coriander with some salt (taking into consideration the saltiness of the stock). Stir in the bulgur and cook over a low heat, with the lid on, for about 10 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and the grain is tender. Fold in the butter and season.

    4. Put the walnuts and chestnuts in the frying pan with the fried onions and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, then mix into the bulgur with the raisins. For the sauce, use a fork to beat the yogurt with the citrus zests, plus the garlic, if liked. To serve, cut the chicken into pieces, sit over the pilaf and pour over the lemony sauce at the bottom of the roasting tin. Sprinkle over the parsley and serve with the yogurt sauce on the side. 

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    This recipe first appeared in Waitrose & Partners Food, February 2019 issue. Download the Waitrose & Partners Food app for the full issue

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