Good evening all, I hope you're all well! I have spent the whole day Christmas shopping and I have to salute the die-hards amongst you that are out every weekend doing it. It was hell....hell on ruddy middle earth!! But I got alot done, however I'm thinking I'll do the rest online!! Unless one of you guys wants to pay for my botox bill? As I'm pretty sure Christmas shopping in a city is severely ageing!!
But I digress the truth is I've been naughty of late. I have kind of fallen off the 'Operation Fat Cow' wagon... I haven't put any weight on but with no exercise in 3 weeks! 3!!!! Means I need to stop being a numpty and get back on it! Sooooo after a few bad weeks of eating I'm back on it today....hence tonights' dinner: Spatchcock Chicken and Tenderstem broccoli with Feta.
If you've never spatchcocked a chicken.....then do it!! Its so simple and when you're in a rush its a must as the chicken cooks ALOT faster!! (also great for barbies!!.....that'll be a good few months off yet though!!)
Quite simply to spatchcock a chicken all you have to do is take out the backbone of the chicken. You can use a very sharp knife to cut either side of the backbone to take it out or you can be a cheat like me and use a good pair of kitchen scissors. Once the backbone is out just flatten the chicken, use the heel of your hand to flatten the thighs so the meat is all one 'level/thickness'. You can be all posh and spatchcock it properly by putting in skewers on the diagonal through the thigh, breast and wing....which is fine. But I couldn't be bothered with that! Et Voila! You have one cockily spatched chook!!!
So for the recipe!
Recipe:
- One whole chicken (spatchcocked)
- 2 cloves of garlic...or more if you want to ensure that the weedly-assed vamp Robert Pattinson doesn't darken your door!
-lashings of olive oil
-Tenderstem broccoli OR courgette ribbons...whatever you fancy really!
- Lemon Zest and juice
- Paprika, salt and pepper
- Block of feta! (I'm a feta addict!)
Method:
- preheat oven to 180degrees
- place tenderstem broccoli in baking tray and cover in lashings of olive oil and crushed garlic, mix it all up so the broccoli is evenly coated.
-Place spatchcocked chicken on top of the broccoli, cover the chicken in salt pepper and paprika, a bit more olive oil and rub in. Then add the lemon zest and lemon juice (I forgot to buy a lemon so had to use lemon out of a bottle....if you have a lemon though the zest would be MUUUUUCH better!!)
- Put in oven and roast for 30mins
- Take out of the oven and crumble over the feta
- Cook for another 10/20mins depending on size of bird
- take out and EAAAAT!!
I served mine with some left over ratatouille in wholemeal pitta bread. I will warn you because of the
Crumbled feta its not the prettiest of dishes. But I really do lump the feta on. I love it! Melted feta is just too scrumdiddlyumptious not to have all over the chicken and broccoli!! I'll add a pic to show how I served it but seriously, even though its not that pretty its absolutely stunning and just so scrummy! Plus easy and pretty thrifty!
