Ingredients
- 1.5kg whole chicken
- 1 unwaxed lemon, cut in half
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 3 leeks, washed and trimmed
- 2 red peppers
- 1 orange pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 100g pitted dry-packed black olives
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200oC or follow the Smeg automatic cooking programme.
- Untruss the chicken and sit it in a roasting tray. Place the lemon halves and two of the rosemary sprigs into the chicken’s cavity.
- Wash and trim the leeks, cut each into three chunks, then slice lengthways and add to the tray.
- Remove the core and seeds of the peppers and slice them into strips, following their natural curves and ridges, and add these to the tin.
- Tumble in the olives, and pour the olive oil over the vegetables and a little over the chicken, too.
- Add the remaining rosemary sprigs to the vegetables, along with some sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
- Using a couple of spoons or spatulas, gently toss the vegetables about to help coat them with the oil and make sure everything’s well coated.
- Sprinkle some sea salt flakes over the chicken and roast in the oven for about 1-1¼ hours.
- The chicken should be cooked through, and its juices running clear when you cut into the flesh with a small sharp knife at the thickest part of the thigh joint.
- The vegetables should be tender by now, too, and some of the leeks will be a scorched light-brown in parts.
- Lift the chicken onto a carving board and, while it rests (for about 10 minutes) pop the pan of veg back in the oven, switching the oven off as you do so.
- Cut the chicken up chunkily, transferring the pieces to a large warmed platter.
- Now take the pan back out of the oven and, with a slotted spoon or spatula, remove the vegetables and place on a large platter.
- Pour over the delicious juices that have collected in the pan and serve immediately.
