Roast chicken with fregola, squash and sage

1 HOUR 30 MINUTES | SERVES 4 EASY

This recipe makes full use of the chicken roasting juices, which are soaked up by the fregola. If you can’t find fregola, substitute with giant couscous or a hearty grain such as pearled spelt or barley. whole chicken 1.5kg olive oil 2 tbsp sea salt 2 tsp chicken stock 150ml lemon 1/2 butternut squash 1kg, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes

garlic 4 cloves, skin on

fregola 200g sage a small bunch, leaves picked butter for frying

• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Untruss the chicken, rub all over with 1 tbsp olive oil then sprinkle with sea salt and grind over black pepper. Put in an ovenproof baking dish that fits it fairly snugly and pour the stock in the bottom. Put the lemon half in the cavity of the chicken. Toss the squash and garlic with the rest of the oil, season well and spread out on a large non-stick baking tray.

• Roast the chicken for 1 hour 15 minutes, adding the squash to the oven for the final 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the fregola following pack instructions and drain well.

• Rest the chicken for 20 minutes then take out of the baking dish, tipping in any juices from the cavity back into the dish as you do so. Squeeze the roasted garlic into the chicken juices, mash with a fork then tip in the fregola and squash, and toss. Season again if it needs it.

• Heat a knob of butter in a frying pan and sizzle the sage leaves until crisp. Carve the chicken and serve with the fregola and crispy sage leaves.

PER SERVING 720 KCALS | FAT 29.8G SATURATES 7.8G | CARBS 56.9G | SUGARS 8.5G FIBRE 4.6G | PROTEIN 53.9G | SALT 3G