Roast chicken with caramelised leeks & goat's cheese recipe

Method

1. Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Put the chicken in a large, shallow roasting tin and rub 20g butter all over the skin. Put the lemon halves and the rosemary in the cavity and season the chicken all over. Roast for 30 mins.
2. Baste the chicken and add the leeks, cut-side down, to the tin, basting in the juices. Season. Roast for 50-55 mins until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest part of the meat with a skewer.
3. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter to rest. Carefully pour all the liquid from the tin into a heatproof jug. Turn the leeks over, then scatter over the hazelnuts and return to the oven for 7 mins or until the leeks are caramelised and the hazelnuts are toasted.
4. Meanwhile, make the gravy. Melt 10g butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 min, then gradually add the cooking liquid from the jug and the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 2-3 mins until thickened. Strain through a sieve into a serving jug.
5. Transfer the leeks and hazelnuts to a serving platter and scatter over the crumbled goat’s cheese. Serve with the chicken and gravy.

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