Squashed roast chicken
I usually spatchcock my chicken, which involves removing the back bone. It gives me a wee a pot of free stock if I boil down the bones with the tips of the wings so it’s worth the effort.
Serves four 1.5kg free-range or organic chicken 3 green chillies, deseeded 2 garlic cloves 1 unwaxed lemon or 1 preserved lemon, halved and deseeded large handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves large handful of coriander leaves 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil salt
Wash and dry the chicken. Cut it in half and remove the backbone. Lay the two halves, skin side up, on a roasting tray. Using the palm of your hand, press each half down either side of the wing to flatten them out.
2 Put the chillies, garlic, lemon, herbs, 3 tbsp olive oil and a generous pinch of salt in the blender or food processor and blend until fairly smooth. Pour over the chicken and gently rub it in. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour.
3 Meanwhile, heat the oven to 220C/ Gas Mark 7. Sprinkle some more salt over the chicken and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes in the oven so the skin becomes lovely and tasty, then lower the temperature to 180C/gas Mark 4 and cook for another 30 minutes or so, until the legs of the chicken come away from the body easily. Serve.