Recipe: Lemon-roasted chicken with parsnips

Reducing the oven heat and leaving the chicken in for a little while longer is a great way to make the meat especially tender. A great family dinner!

Ingredients

2 onions, quartered
4 carrots, sliced diagonally
4 celery sticks, sliced diagonally
1 garlic bulb, cut in half horizontally
250g fresh baby parsnips
125ml (½ cup) olive/avocado oil
1 whole chicken (about 2kg)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 large lemon, quartered
Handful fresh thyme

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 240°C. Line a roasting tray with baking paper.

2. Place all the vegetables in the roasting tray and drizzle with half the oil. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes.

3. Drizzle the chicken with the remaining oil and season well, using your hands to rub the seasoning and oil well all over the chicken. Place the lemon and thyme into the cavity of the chicken and place the chicken on top of the vegetables .

4. Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C and return the roasting tray to the oven until the chicken is done, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Cover with foil if the chicken starts to burn. Stir the vegetables halfway through the cooking time and add a little water if they are sticking to the bottom.

5. Carve the chicken and serve with the vegetables, with the pan juices drizzled over.

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