Rotisserie Citrus Chicken & Vegetables with Pearl Couscous and Labne

Elegant and easy-to-make Sunday lunch for up to 6

Nothing beats a delectable juicy and golden brown roast chicken. The browned-on bits help make your chicken look delicious and the wafting smell of a good rotisserie chicken will take over the whole house! Everyone should learn how to cook a perfect roast chicken because it is actually very easy to make. Put it in the oven and let the roaster do its job.

Citrus Roasted Chicken and Vegetables with Pearl Cous Cous and Labne

This dish has all the right flavours and textures. Homemade Labne (yogurt cheese) is so easy and provides a cool and creamy base for the warm chicken and crisp vegetables. The couscous is cooked in the citrus-infused pan juices.

Ingredients

For the labne:

• 500ml Greek Yogurt
• 2 tsp Fennel Seeds
• ½ tsp Salt
• Olive Oil

For the roast chicken:

• 1 large Free Range Chicken, about 2 KG
• 2 Tbsp Salted Butter
• 2-3 mixed Citrus Fruits such as Orange, Lime and Lemon
• 1 small bunch thyme
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 bunch Heritage Carrots
• 2 fennel Bulbs
• 1 large head Broccoli
• 300g Israeli Pearl Cous Cous

Instruction

1. The day before (or several hours before starting to cook), place the yogurt in a cheesecloth or tea towel-lined colander. Tie up the corners so the yogurt hangs within the cloth and drains out the bottom. Have a bowl underneath to catch the drainage. Allow this to drain in the fridge for 2 hours overnight (see notes). Then take out the labne, place on a small plate or bowl, drizzle thoroughly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and fennel seeds.

2. Preheat oven to 190C/170 Fan. Place the chicken breasts facing up onto your roasting tray. Rub the chicken skin with butter as well as underneath the breast skin. Salt and pepper with a heavy hand. Grate the zest of the citrus fruit and reserve this for serving. Cut in halves then place the cut citrus fruit and thyme within the chicken’s cavity.

3. Roast the chicken for 2 hours, undisturbed (see notes for time calculation). While the chicken is roasting, prepare the vegetables. Peel the carrots but leave whole unless it's very large. Cut the fennel into slices and cut the broccoli into florets. In another medium roasting tray, place the vegetables in and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper well.

4. After 2 hours, the chicken can be taken out to rest. Carefully lift from the tray to a plate and cover loosely with a tea towel for 20-30 minutes. Place the tray of veggies into roast when the chicken comes out to rest.

5. Pour the juices and fat from the chicken roasting tray into a saucepan, add the couscous, and top up with enough water to soak the couscous by 2 cm. Cover and bring to a low boil. 6. After 10/15 minutes, stir. Then take the couscous off of the heat and start to carve the chicken. Pour any excess juice from resting into a jug and carve the breast into slices, followed by the dark meat around the bird. Place the meat onto a serving platter and pour over the reserved resting juices. Take the vegetables out of the oven. They should take 20-25 minutes maximum to keep a tender-crisp texture.

7. Serve with the prepared labne, roasted vegetables and couscous. Right before serving. Sprinkle the reserved citrus zest over the chicken and vegetables on the serving platter.

Notes

Calculating cooking time Labne: I like to fashion a couple of chopsticks over a colander to help hold up my cloth. I use a nut milk bag but a tea towel works well too. Cooking time for the chicken: A 1.5 kg bird will take 1.5 hours. After this, the formula is to add 20 minutes per 500g. Read the MasterPro AirFlow Non-Stick Roaster review here.

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Next Recipe: Overnight Greek Roast Lamb Shoulder

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