Recipe
Half Spring Chicken with New Potatoes and White Wine Sauce
Roast half chicken with buttery new potatoes, spring greens and asparagus, finished with a light white-wine sauce made from the tray juices for a bright spring supper.
Ingredients
Method
20 mins prep55 mins cook75 mins total
Heat the oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan. Season the chicken and place it skin-side up in a roasting tin with the potatoes, spring onions and thyme. Roast for 40 minutes.
Add the asparagus and roast for a further 10–15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender. Rest the chicken for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil or steam the spring greens until just tender and toss with half the butter.
Pour the wine and stock into the roasting tin, scrape up the browned juices and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in the remaining butter, lemon zest and juice, then serve with the chicken and vegetables.
Notes
Check the thickest part of the chicken reaches 75°C before resting. Add the asparagus only for the final 10–15 minutes so it stays tender rather than soft.
If using a chicken crown instead of a half chicken, begin checking its temperature early because the cooking time may be shorter.
About this recipe
This is a generous spring roast for two, built around half a chicken with crisp skin, tender new potatoes and a bright mix of asparagus, spring greens and spring onions. The chicken roasts over the potatoes so the tray catches the savoury juices, while thyme gives the vegetables a gentle herbal note.
The sauce is made in the same tin with dry white wine, chicken stock, lemon and butter. Scraping up the browned pieces gives it depth without making it heavy. Rest the chicken before carving, and keep the greens just tender so the plate retains some freshness alongside the roast.
