Roast Chicken with Cheesy Garlic Greens
"A roast chicken is always a crowd-pleaser! In this easy, very low carb dish, I serve beautifully cooked chicken (featuring a hint of lemon and thyme flavouring) with a side dish of simply cooked greens smothered in a cheesy, garlic sauce. High in fat, low in carbs – this is your keto Sunday sorted!"- Monya
Method
Based on 4 servings, adjust as needed.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan-assisted). Remove the chicken from its packaging – and take note of the cooking times for the size chicken you purchased. Season all sides with salt and pepper. Halve the lemon and place both halves – along with several sprigs of thyme into the cavity. Truss the legs with string if you want to.
Step 2
Place the chicken in a casserole or on a baking dish and rub the olive oil all over it. Cook following the instructions shown on the packaging, as times will differ according to the bird’s size. I get consistently good results when following the store-bought packet instructions.
Step 3
Continue with other prep while the chicken is in the oven. Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus spears. If you want a pretty presentation, use a vegetable peeler to shave the stalk side. Trim the green beans, crush the garlic, and grate the cheddar cheese**.
Step 4
About 10 minutes before your chicken’s time is up, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Once boiling rapidly, add the asparagus and green beans and cook for no longer than 3 minutes before draining in a colander. Arrange in a baking dish or oven-proof serving platter and drizzle over a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 5
When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and set aside to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Increase the oven to maximum grill.
Step 6
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the garlic. Cook over medium heat for a minute or so to soften the garlic. Add the cream cheese, double cream, and three-quarters of the grated Cheddar. Mix well until the cheese melts and the creamy mixture has thickened. Pour this over the greens and scatter over the remaining cheese. Place in the oven until the cheese bubbles and gratins, approx. 3-5 minutes.
Step 7
Serve the roast chicken with the cheesy greens and scatter thyme over the whole lot.
- Ingredients
- Based on 4 servings
-
250g Asparagus Spears, trimmed 1x Sainsbury's Asparagus Spears 250g -
220g Green Beans, trimmed 1x Stamford Street Co. Green Beans 220g -
1 tsp Unsalted Butter 1x Sainsbury's British Butter, Unsalted 250g -
100g Full Fat Cream Cheese 1x Stamford Street Co. Soft Cheese 200g -
1 Whole Large Chicken, swap for a smaller 1.2kg chicken if cooking for 2 1x Sainsbury's British Fresh Large Whole Chicken 1.9kg -
1 Lemon, cut in half 1x Sainsbury's Lemons -
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed with a garlic press 1x Sainsbury's Garlic -
5g Thyme Sprigs, plus extra for garnish 1x Sainsbury's Bunched Thyme 20g -
2 tbsp Olive Oil, plus extra for the greens 1x Sainsbury's Olive Oil 500ml -
75ml Double Cream 1x Sainsbury's British Double Cream 150ml -
75g Full Fat Cheddar Cheese 1x Sainsbury's British Mature Cheddar Cheese 400g -
Maldon Salt, to taste 1x Maldon Sea Salt Flakes 250g