Let’s face it: summer in Australia can get hot. Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some of the traditional flavours we associate with this time of year. This salad is much lighter than a full-on winter roast, making it perfect for summer Christmases like the ones we get here. Still, it’s packed with festive flavour thanks to the pine nut and currant dressing.
We’ve included instructions for roasting the chicken, but the beauty of this recipe is that it’s also a great way to get rid of leftovers on boxing day if that’s more your thing.
Makes 8 serves. Each serve is approximately 2575 kilojoules (615 calories).
Ingredients
1 large chicken
1 lemon, halved.
2-3 sprigs thyme
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
2 thick slices sourdough
2 tb currants
3 tb red wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
2 tb toasted pine nuts
100g rocket
Method
- Heat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
- With the chicken on a roasting tray, place the lemon halves and thyme into the cavity. You may like to tie the drumsticks together with kitchen twine to keep the meat from drying out while cooking.
- Stir the garlic through two tablespoons of the olive oil, then brush over the outside of the chicken, to coat the skin. Season with salt and pepper, and then transfer to the oven.
- Roast for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190 degrees Celsius and let cook for a further hour — or until cooked through. The safest way to check this is with a meat thermometer.
- Remove the chicken from the oven, cover with foil, and leave to rest for at least 10-15 minutes.
- While the chicken rests, make your croutons. This is as easy as removing the crusts from the bread, cutting into cubes, then drizzling with another two tablespoons of olive oil.
- Cook them in the oven until nice and crunchy.
- In a small frying pan, combine the currants, vinegar, and honey. Heat over a medium flame, stirring continuously, until well combined. Mix through the pine nuts and set aside.
- Carve the chicken, then combine with the rocket leaves and croutons in a large bowl. Add the remaining olive oil and toss well. Serve with the currant and pine nut dressing.