When I was a child, roast chicken was always a special occasion meal reserved for birthdays and Christmas.

I remember my father driving all the way across town to pick up a capon or two (still with feet attached). There is a family story about my delicate little grandmother, who was very afraid of chicken feet, being frightened out of her wits when my sister tied a chook foot to a light switch and asked my grandmother to turn on the light. Grandma required a lie down to regain her good humour.

Nowadays, chicken is very easily accessible, but I think roast chook will always be a special meal for me.

Handy hack one: use your favourite fresh herbs in the gremolata. I like thyme, flat-leaf parsley and/or garlic chives. You could also add a little lemon zest as well.

Handy hack two: when preparing the pumpkin, I like to leave the skin on, especially if it is a soft-skin pumpkin such as butternut.

Handy hack three: my family likes green beans a little crunchy, so I only steam for a couple of minutes. If you prefer your beans softer, increase the steaming time to five minutes or so.

ROAST CHICKEN AND SIDES

INGREDIENTS

Chicken halves

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon, sliced

1 sprig fresh thyme per chicken half

1 potato per person

1-2 pieces pumpkin per person

2-3 small beetroot (or 1 beetroot cut into pieces) per person

100g green beans per person

GREMOLATA

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

2 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C. The lemon and thyme flavour profile is very popular with any chicken dish. Oil the roasting pan with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and then simply lay a slice of lemon and a sprig of thyme together in the pan.

Step 2: Place a chicken half on the top of the lemon and thyme.

Step 3: Both chicken halves are now on top of the lemon and thyme and ready for the oven.

Step 4: Place the roasting dish into the preheated oven.

Step 5: Before roasting the potatoes, place them into a saucepan with some cold water and par boil them for approximately 10 minutes, depending on their size.

Step 6: Remove the potatoes from the pan and gently rough up their outside surface. This will give them that lovely crispy crust when the potatoes are roasted.

Step 7: After roasting the chicken halves for about half an hour, remove the roasting tin from the oven and scatter the vegetables that you are roasting around the chicken. Return the roasting pan to the oven and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are roasted and tender.

Step 8: While the chicken and vegetables are cooking, place a steamer over a saucepan of water and lightly steam the green beans. After a couple of minutes, remove the steamer basket from the heat and remove the beans. Place them on a plate to one side.

Step 9: Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan and heat over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the fresh breadcrumbs and herbs and stir while frying until the breadcrumbs are golden. Remove the pan from the heat. Then sprinkle the gremolata over the top of the beans.

Step 10: Chicken and vegies are roasted and ready to serve.

Step 11: To serve, place a chicken half on a serving plate with your assortment of vegetables and the gremolata-topped green beans.

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Sunday, 3rd May 2026

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