Roast chicken with garlic, sherry and almond

Roast chicken with garlic, sherry and almond

Clare Thomson’s chicken with garlic, sherry and an almond crumb is a wonderful, deeply savoury twist on a classic roast. Perfect for wintry weekends.

Roast chicken with garlic, sherry and almond

Chef Claire has written six cookery books, her latest being Camper Van Cooking (Quadrille £20). For more of her brilliant everyday recipes visit her blog, 5oclockapron.com.

  • Serves icon Serves 4-5
  • Time icon Hands-on time 20 min. Oven time 60-70 min.

Clare Thomson’s chicken with garlic, sherry and an almond crumb is a wonderful, deeply savoury twist on a classic roast. Perfect for wintry weekends.

Chef Claire has written six cookery books, her latest being Camper Van Cooking (Quadrille £20). For more of her brilliant everyday recipes visit her blog, 5oclockapron.com.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
492kcals
Fat
22.9g (4g saturated)
Protein
50.9g
Carbohydrates
9.1g (1.7g sugars)
Fibre
0.9g
Salt
0.6g

Ingredients

  • 1 medium free-range chicken (about 1.6kg)
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 garlic bulbs, cloves separated, skins left on
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 50g blanched whole almonds, roughly chopped
  • 2 slices crusty white bread, crusts removed, torn into 2.5cm pieces
  • Small bunch flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 200ml dry sherry (fino or amontillado, or use white wine)
  • 200ml homemade/good quality chicken stock or water
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Method

  1. Heat the oven to 180ºC fan/gas 6. Rub the chicken with 1 tbsp of the oil, pushing some of the oil between the flesh and skin (take care not to tear the skin). Season generously, both inside and out, with salt and pepper, then put 2 garlic cloves and a bay leaf in the cavity (tie the legs with twine if you wish).
  2. Put the chicken breast-side up in a large deep casserole (one that has a tight fitting lid), then roast uncovered for 40 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, fry the remaining garlic cloves in a medium frying pan over a medium heat in the rest of the olive oil for 5 minutes until just golden, then put on a plate, leaving the oil in the pan.
  4. Fry the almonds and bread in the same pan for about 3 minutes until golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper, put in a food processor and whizz with the parsley to a coarse crumb, then set aside. (You could chop the almonds/parsley by hand and crumble the bread.)
  5. After the chicken has been cooking for 40 minutes add the fried garlic to it along with the sherry, stock/water and remaining bay leaf. Cover tightly and return to the oven for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. You can reduce the juices over a high heat if you like, but I don’t tend to bother.
  6. Let the chicken rest in the pot for at least 10 minutes or so before removing it.
  7. Transfer the chicken to a platter, spoon over the pan juices and add a generous sprinkling of almond crumb. Serve with the garlic cloves, squeezing out the flesh and discarding the skins.

Nutrition

Calories
492kcals
Fat
22.9g (4g saturated)
Protein
50.9g
Carbohydrates
9.1g (1.7g sugars)
Fibre
0.9g
Salt
0.6g

delicious. tips

  1. Don’t waste it: The almond crumb will keep in an airtight container for 1-2 days. Sprinkle over pasta or add to a gratin topping for extra crunch.

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Recipe By

Claire Thomson

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