"WINEY" CHICKEN

The weekend is her and it's start to think about this weeks Sunday Roast. It's also been a very long week in work so it's time to crack open the wine and relax for the weekend. White wine and chicken is a classic combination but I only really see it in stews and casseroles but never really on a whole roast bird. Here I've created a fantastic marinade that really pumps that wine flavor into your roast, complimented with some garlic, lemon and fresh herbs for a delightfully fragrant and oh so adult Sunday Roast. Prepare and marinade the night before and
you certainly won't be a "winey" diner!

"Winey" Chicken

1 Whole Chicken

 300ml White Wine

75g Light Brown Sugar

150ml Olive Oil

3 Tsp Sea Salt

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

4 Garlic Cloves

4 Sprigs Of Fresh Thyme

4 Sprigs Of Fresh Rosemary

4 Fresh Basil Leaves

3 Peeled And Halved Onions

Salt And Pepper To Season

1. Take your whole chicken and place it on a baking tray lined with foil. Take the chicken skin above the cavity and use a pair of scissors to cut any membrane of the skin away from breast so that you have a little pocket like in the picture to the right. Leave to one side to allow the chicken to breathe.
2. Take a large bowl and throw in the wine, sugar, olive oil, salt and lemon juice along with 300ml of cold water. Stir everything together until the salt and sugar has dissolve. Leavethis mix to one side.
3. Break the skins of the garlic cloves with the palm of your hand and place two inside the skin pocket and the other two between the thigh and breast,
4. Take the fresh herbs and place half inside the skin pocket and scatter the rest inside any old crevice you can find.
5. Transfer the chicken to another large bowl and then pour the white wine mixture over the chicken. The chicken should now be swimming in all that winey, herby goodness. Cover thechicken with film and place in the oven for a least one night but preferably overnight. Remove the chicken from the fridge about 15 minutes before roasting.
6. Take a deep roasting tray lined with foil and place the halved onions dome side up onto foil. Remove the chicken from the bowl of marinade and place it on top of the onions and pour over enough marinade until a 1/2cm pool of the marinade forms in the bottom of the baking tray.
7. Heat your oven to the required temperature and roast your chicken to the time as per the packet instructions and weight of your bird. For best results make sure you take the chicken out of the oven once cook and rest for half the amount of cooking time before serving.

The chicken will be beautifully moist and have the lovely wine, herb and lemon flavor right through it.

Remember to keep all those juices and the onions from the roasting tray to make a delicious gravy. Throw all the remains from the try into a pan and blend into a thick liquid. Push this mix through a sieve to thin and add some water to thin to your liking. Amazing!

Serve with a one shot roast of your choice and tuck in. It's what Sundays were made for!