RECIPE: LEMON, GARLIC + SAGE ROAST CHOOK

mmm chicken-licious

Are you getting a bit sick of poached or grilled chicken breast? I don't think I have ever eaten so much chicken in my life before since I started my meal plans - lucky I love it...but even so, I know I was feeling like something more exciting the other weekend, especially for the no carb days. I realised I hadn't done a roast chicken in about 2 years, having dumped it in the basket of too much cooking effort. Which is absurd, because a roast chicken is really quite simple and once it's prepped it's just a matter of popping it in the oven and then you can get on with more important things. Like prepping and cooking all of the rest of the food, a workout, some grocery shopping...ha ha super exciting things you wouldn't want to miss out on! Plus, if you don't add the traditional stuffing it is also quite healthy...and yes that's skin on my roast chook, but I don't actually eat it; leave it on whilst roasting though as it keeps the meat nice and tender.

Although whole chickens have more fat than just the chicken breasts, they are cheaper and as long as you factor in the extra fat from the legs and thighs, it shouldn't really be a problem. I loved having this on my no carb day, made it much more enjoyable having a something that tasted like a home cooked treat. Keeping the vegies on the lower carb side as well makes this a nice light dish, but it still packs a flavourful punch. We used a little bit of leftover cold roast capsicum and asparagus on salad as well and they really made a tasty addition. I'm looking forward to trying this again on the weekend but I will use some chicken breasts instead to make sure I don't miss out on any protein.

Lemon Garlic Sage Roast Chook

Ingredients
1 x large Lilydale free range chook
1 lemon, halved
1 lemon, cut into quarters
2 garlic cloves
Fresh sage leaves
drizzle olive oil (about 1-2 tbsp)
Sea salt & pepper to taste
Red capsicum/pepper
Asparagus
Red onion

Method

Preheat a fan forced oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Lightly oil or line a large baking/roasting dish.

Cut one of the lemons in half and squeeze the juice of one half over the chicken and rub well into the flesh. Finely chop or crush one garlic clove and rub into the skin. Place 3 fresh sage leaves on top and then drizzle with a little olive oil and season with sea salt & pepper.

Slice the other garlic clove into quarters and push the segments into the flesh of the already cut lemon halves. Place both halves inside the chicken and a big bunch of sage leaves as well.

Scatter chopped red onion, asparagus, red capsicum & lemon quarters around the chicken in same baking dish and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.

Roast for 90 minutes until golden brown, or until juices run clear.

Variations

• instead of a whole chicken, use chicken breasts and rubbed crushed garlic over top, lay lemon slices & sage on each one or slice a small pocket and stuff inside.
• replace the sage with your favourite herb - garlic and lemon are pretty versatile, so try some fresh basil or rosemary.
• spice it up and instead of herbs, add some freshly chopped chili or chili paste.
• pump up the carbohydrates to round out the macro balance and add in some sweet potato, pumpkin or potatoes.