Ingredients
- 2tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 rashers streaky bacon, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 leeks, sliced into rounds
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped
- 4 small organic carrots, scrubbed
- 2 parsnips, scrubbed and halved lengthways
- 1 celeriac, cut into chunks
- 2.4kg (4lb 13oz) chicken
- 400ml (13fl oz) of chicken stock
Method
- Heat the oven to 160°C (gas mark 2-3). Heat the oil in a large, heatproof casserole dish over a medium heat. Add the bacon, garlic and leeks and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes, or until the leeks have softened.
- Tuck in the thyme, bay leaves, celery and root vegetables. Add the chicken to the casserole (breast-side up) and season it with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add enough stock to a depth of 2cm. (¾in)
- Cover it tightly with foil or a lid, then place the casserole in the oven and roast for 1¾hours, basting occasionally with the pan juices. Increase the heat to 180°C (gas mark 4) and remove the lid 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time, to allow the chicken to brown.
- Remove the chicken and vegetables to a warm dish and check the sauce. Skim off any fat, adjust the seasoning and, if the sauce is too thin, reduce it over a high heat on the stove top. Transfer the sauce to a jug. Discard the thyme and bay leaves. Serve with vegetables.
Top tips
Tip
Use either a combination of root vegetables or simply carrots. Jerusalem artichokes give the dish a lovely earthy flavour.
