Ingredients:
Large bunch of basil
150ml extra virgin olive oil
50ml garlic infused olive oil or 1 crushed garlic clove
25g pine nuts
25g Parmesan or pecorino, grated
Juice of half a lemon
1.6-1.8kg Whole chicken
500g new potatoes, chopped in half
1 courgette, use veg peeler to make ribbons
200g green beans
200g asparagus
100g broad beans
100g peas
1tbsp plain flour
Method:
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees (fan)
Blitz the basil, oils, cheese, lemon juice and pine nuts in a blender until it forms a smooth sauce. You may need to add some more oil to get this consistency.
Place the chicken in a roasting tin and rub just under half of the pesto under the skin of the chicken. Put the used half of lemon in the chicken cavity, and place the tin in the middle of the oven.
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After 45 minutes, add the potatoes to the roasting tin and cover the chicken in another tablespoon of the pesto. Put back in the oven for another 45 minutes.
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Removing the chicken from the oven, check the juices of the chicken are clear and the meat is no longer pink in the middle, then leave to rest under tin foil.
Steam the green beans and asparagus for 3 minutes (in a microwave steamer – will take longer on the hob) then add the peas and broad beans for a further 2 minutes. Tip these into a bowl and add the courgette to the steamer and leave in the microwave for 1 minute, then add to the bowl with the rest of the veg.
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Mix the flour with some cold water to make a paste.
Stir the remaining pesto into the chicken juices in the roasting tin, heat this on the hob and add the flour paste to thicken the sauce.
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Add a tbsp of the pesto sauce to the vegetables and toss to cover.
Carve the chicken and serve with the potatoes and veggies, adding a spoonful of the pesto sauce to finish! Enjoy!