Name: Try Matt Moran’s roasted lemon chicken with potato wedges and wilted endive
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1.6kg whole chicken; 1 medium lemon; 4 sprigs lemon thyme; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon extra; 1 teaspoon lemon thyme, chopped; Sea-salt flakes and pepper, to season; 500ml My Perfect Chicken Stock; 1.2kg Desiree potatoes, cut into wedges; Wilted endive; 1/2 bunch curly endive; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Matt Moran’s roasted lemon chicken with potato wedges and wilted endive is a simple yet impressive meal that brings together crisp-skinned chicken, golden roasted potatoes and tender greens in one flavour-packed dish. Enhanced with Matt Moran’s My Perfect Chicken Stock, the chicken stays juicy while developing a rich, savoury flavour that pairs beautifully with fresh lemon. Perfect for a relaxed family dinner or easy entertaining, this comforting roast is one you’ll come back to time and time again.

Ingredients

1.6kg whole chicken

1 medium lemon

4 sprigs lemon thyme

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon extra

1 teaspoon lemon thyme, chopped

Sea-salt flakes and pepper, to season

500ml My Perfect Chicken Stock

1.2kg Desiree potatoes, cut into wedges

Wilted endive

1/2 bunch curly endive

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced.

Step 2

Remove and discard any fat from the cavity of the chicken. Tuck wings under the body. Place the lemon and lemon thyme sprigs in the chicken cavity. Rub chicken all over with the oil and chopped lemon thyme. Season well. Tie legs together with kitchen string.

Step 3

Place chicken on an oiled rack in a medium roasting pan. Pour the stock into the pan (the liquid should not touch the chicken). Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Roast chicken for a further 1 1/2 hours or until cooked through, basting occasionally with pan juices, adding 1 cup water halfway through the cooking time. Transfer to a plate. Cover loosely with foil. Rest chicken for 10 minutes before serving.

Step 4

In the last 50 minutes of cooking time, toss the potato wedges with the extra oil on a large baking tray. Season with sea-salt flakes. Roast wedges until crisp and tender, tossing halfway through.

Step 5

For the endive, cook endive in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 1 minute or until wilted. Drain well. Combine garlic, lemon juice and oil in a small bowl, then drizzle over the endive. Season.

Step 6

Serve chicken with wedges and wilted endive.

Cook’s tip

You can swap spinach, kale or silverbeet for the endive. Just use whatever green is in season!

*(Photography: Con Poulos & Jeremy Simons, styling: Michele Cranston)*

Chef Matt Moran Chef

Matt Moran AM is an Australian chef and restaurateur who has appeared on several TV cooking shows, including MasterChef. With more than 40 years of experience, Matt is known for his successful restaurants, including Aria, Chiswick, Chophouse and Rockley Pub. Matt has become a regular contributor to Better Homes and Gardens magazine, creating recipes that are hearty, filling and full of flavour. When he's not working hard in the kitchen, you can find him tending to his kitchen garden on his family farm in the Central Tablelands.