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large chicken, about 1.8kg (4lb)
- 150 ml
(5 fl oz (¼ pint)) olive oil
- 2 tsp.
white wine vinegar
775g (1lb 11oz) sweet potatoes (about 4 large), scrubbed
- 2 tsp.
dried oregano
small bunch parsley, thick stalks removed
½ large bunch basil, thick stalks removed
1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2tbsp capers in brine, rinsed
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. To spatchcock a bird, place it breast-side down on a chopping board with the neck cavity away from you. With strong kitchen scissors or poultry shears, cut straight up either side of the backbone and discard. Turn the bird over and firmly press down on the breast to flatten. You should hear the wish bone snap.
- Step 2
Rub chicken with 1tbsp olive oil and 1tsp white wine vinegar. Season well. With dry hands, thread two long skewers across each other, through the underside of the bird from thigh to wing, to keep it in shape. Put in a roasting tin, breast side up.
- Step 3
Cut the sweet potatoes into 2cm (¾in) batons, then toss with 1tbsp oil and the oregano. Scatter on to a baking tray.
- Step 4
Put the chicken tray in the top of the oven, with the fries on the shelf below, and roast for 45-50min until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear, and the fries are crisp and golden (turn them halfway through cooking).
- Step 5
Meanwhile, make the salsa verde. Whiz the remaining olive oil and white wine vinegar with the parsley, basil, garlic and capers in a food
processor until smooth. If you don’t have a processor, chop everything finely and mix for a chunkier version. Rest bird for 10min, drizzling over cooking juices from tray before carving. Serve with the fries and salsa, plus salad leaves, if you like.
Extra meat
Use the extra meat that you strip off the carcass for other meals.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 697
- Fibre: 7 g
- Total carbs: 41 g
- Sugars: 11 g
- Total fat: 42 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Protein: 34 g
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
