Ingredients
1.6kg/3lb 8oz whole chicken
4 tbsp butter, at room temperature
200ml/8fl oz Sherry vinegar, plus 1 tbsp
200g/8oz frozen peas
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp caster sugar
50g/2oz raisins
15g pack dill, roughly chopped
3 heads chicory, green, red or a mixture
50g/2oz mixed salad leaves (we used rocket and chard mix)
100g/4oz pine nuts, toasted
crusty bread, to serve
Method
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Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Rub the chicken all over with butter and season well, inside and out. Sit it in a small roasting tin, pour the Sherry vinegar around, and cover with foil. Roast for 2 hrs.
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Meanwhile, get all of the remaining ingredients ready. Boil the peas for 1 min until just tender. Drain well, plunge into cold water to quickly cool, then drain again and set aside.
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Once your chicken has roasted for 2 hrs, remove from oven. Pour the juices into a jug, then increase oven temp to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Roast for a further 20-30 mins (without foil) until golden.
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Skim the fat from the juices, then boil until you have about 100ml of juices left. Stir in the extra tbsp of vinegar, olive oil and caster sugar, taste, then tip onto your serving dish with the raisins.
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When the chicken has finished its second roasting, leave until cool enough to handle (or pop on a pair of clean rubber gloves), then tear the meat in large pieces from the carcass, onto the serving dish. Add the dill, chicory, salad leaves, pine nuts and peas, then toss together with your hands. Serve straightaway with some crusty bread.
