Orange and fennel roast chicken

• Serves 4

• Preparation time: 40

• Cooking time: 45

Ingredients

1.5kg whole chicken, free range
2 oranges, 1 juiced & zested, the other cut into 1cm slices
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbs cornflour

Method

1. With shears or kitchen scissors, cut down both sides of the chook's backbone to remove, then flatten the bird out (you may need to cut the breast bone).

2. Combine juice, zest, mustard, fennel seeds and leaves from 6 sprigs of thyme. Pour over chicken and leave to marinate for as long as possible (ideally overnight, but 30 minutes is OK).

3. Preheat oven to 220°C.

4. Place chicken in a baking dish, add stock and orange slices and cook for 40-45 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.

5. Remove chicken, cover loosely with foil and set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes before carving.

6. You can make a sauce by pouring off pan juices (discarding the top layer of fat with a spoon) and heating in a small saucepan.

7. Combine 1 tbs cornflour (or chickpea flour, also known as besan) with a tablespoon of water and add to saucepan, stirring until thickened.

Notes

Nutritional value (per serve):

Energy 1,187kj
Calories 284 cals
Carbs 5.4g
Sugar 5.3g
Dietary Fibre 1.8g
Protein 48g
Sat Fat 2.4g
Fat 7.7g