Griddled marinated whole chicken salad

I’m not really a salad kinda gal – I like food that’s a bit more buxom. The flavours of caesar salad fit my brief: Parmesan, anchovy and garlic all smack you round the chops. It’s a good salad, but an even better one when served alongside a whole griddled chicken. I’ve made the salad dressing lighter by using less oil and replacing some with natural yogurt, the tang of which is great with the vinegar and it cuts down the calories.

SERVES 4-6

1 medium free-range chicken, spatchcocked 1 bulb of garlic, cloves peeled and finely chopped

3 tbsps of chopped herbs (I would go for thyme, rosemary and parsley)

2 tbsps of Korean or regular chilli powder 1 tsp of sea salt flakes Freshly ground black pepper

Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsps of olive oil

FOR the croutons

100ml of olive oil

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4 garlic cloves, bashed 2 rosemary sprigs ¼ white loaf or sourdough bread, crusts trimmed off, torn into bite-sized pieces FOR the Salad

2 romaine lettuces or 4 ● little Gem lettuces, sliced 4 free-range eggs, soft-boiled for 6 mins 8 pickled anchovies, sliced in half lengthways 30g of Parmesan cheese, shaved

FOR the light caesar dressing

1 egg yolk

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5 anchovies in oil

1 tsp of dijon mustard 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar

50g of Parmesan cheese, grated

2 garlic cloves (you can use the cooked leftover garlic from making the croutons)

200ml of light olive oil 100g of natural yogurt Juice of 1 lemon

Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas Mark 4.

1 The day before, lay the spatchcocked chicken in a roasting tray. Using a pestle and mortar, bash together the garlic, herbs, chilli, salt and pepper and lemon rind, gradually adding the lemon juice and oil. Rub this marinade all over the chicken, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight to marinate.

2 To make the croutons, place the oil, garlic and rosemary in a saucepan and heat until the garlic and herbs start to sizzle. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Strain the garlic and herbs from the oil and set both the infused oil and the garlic and herbs aside. Lay the bread in a roasting tray and drizzle with the infused oil. Roast for 25 minutes, turning the croutons halfway through, until golden on the outside. I don’t like dried out croutons; I prefer them to have a bit of give in the middle.

3 To make the dressing, put the egg yolk, anchovies, mustard, vinegar, Parmesan and garlic cloves in a food processor and blend until smooth. Continue to blend and slowly trickle in the oil until the dressing thickens up. Mix in the yogurt and season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

4 Heat a griddle pan until smoking and cook the chicken on each side until lightly charred. Return the chicken to the roasting tray and cook in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the juices in the legs run clear. Chop the chicken through its joints into 10 pieces. Pop the lettuce leaves into a bowl and dress with half the dressing. Place the leaves on a platter and pour the other half of the dressing over the leaves. Cut the boiled eggs in half and place on top along with the anchovies, Parmesan shavings and reserved crispy rosemary sprigs and croutons. Serve alongside the griddled chicken with the chicken juices poured over.