Festive roast chicken
Honey bacon crumbs, roasted squash, chestnut gravy & crispy sage
Festive roast chicken
Honey bacon crumbs, roasted squash, chestnut gravy & crispy sage
Nutrition per serving
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Calories 601 30%
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Fat 30.6g 44%
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Saturates 7.8g 39%
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Sugars 20.8g 23%
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Salt 1g 17%
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Protein 37g 74%
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Carbs 46.6g 18%
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Fibre 4.9g -
Of an adult's reference intake
Ingredients
- 2 slices of bread or panettone (100g total)
- 4 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
- 180 g vac-packed chestnuts
- olive oil
- 2 butternut squash (1.2kg each)
- 2 red onions
- 2 bunches of sage (40g total)
- red wine vinegar
- 1 x 1.5kg whole chicken
- runny honey
The cost per serving below is generated by Whisk.com and is based on costs in individual supermarkets. For more information about how we calculate costs per serving read our FAQS
Method
Remove the pan from the oven, move the chicken to a large board and leave to rest. Pick the remaining sage leaves, rub with a little oil and lay over the squash halves, leaving them in the oven for another 30 minutes. Generously brush the chicken with honey. Blitz the bread mixture until fine, then evenly sprinkle over and pat on to the chicken. Boil the kettle. Tip the rest of the contents of the casserole pan into the processor, add 300ml of boiling kettle water and blitz until smooth. Pour back into the pan and simmer to the consistency of your liking, then season to perfection. Move the squash to the board. Add lashings of gravy, and dig in.
Tips
FLAVOUR BOOST: Carefully pour boiling water over the bunch of sage before you use it – this will help to release the essential oils, which is key to big flavour.
CHRISTMAS LOVE: You can easily swap the chicken for a whole turkey – just make sure you stuff the cavity with your favourite stuffing recipe. Follow the timings below depending on the weight of your bird:
4-5kg – cook 2¼ to 2½ hours
5-6kg – cook 2½ to 3 hours
6-7kg – cook 3 hours to 3½ hours
7-8kg – cook 3½ to 4 hours
8-9kg – cook 4 to 4¼ hours
9-10kg – cook 4¼ to 4½ hours
Roast the turkey for the required time, or until the juices run clear from the thickest part of the thigh if you pierce it with a knife or a skewer. You can also use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the turkey – a supermarket higher-welfare bird should be cooked to at least 70°C. If you have a dry-plucked, dry-aged, excellent quality bird, you can cook it to 65°C. And don’t forget – turkeys between 4-6kg should be rested for 1½ hours, and ones from 6-10kg can rest for 2 hours. Find out more here.
