Lemon & thyme roast chicken with creamy parmesan beans

Here’s a delicious “hero recipe” for your Sutton Hoo chicken, ie. the first recipe in The Pecking Order. Boil up a stock and hold on to your leftovers to make a “spin-off supper” and “mop-up meal” for four.

A roast chicken with gravy and roasted potatoes is a beautiful thing, but come Spring and Summer it’s time to think outside the box.

Here we’ve paired a classic lemon, thyme & garlic roasted chicken with some fantastic Italian-inspired accompaniments - something a little lighter and fresher for the Spring.

The creamy parmesan & white bean gratin offers incredibly powerful flavours and a very indulgent, comforting texture. The beans themselves are laced lots of black pepper and garlic, and the crispy sourdough topping packs a punch with capers, anchovies, more garlic and a few spoonfuls of golden chicken fat from your roasting bird. Heaven.

A zingy lemon & basil pesto cuts through the richness of the dish wonderfully. Wild garlic season is very nearly upon us - joy of joys! - so if you’ve foraged some of this seasonal magic, sub it in for the garlic in the pesto recipe.

Prep time: 30 mins

Cooking time: approx. 2 hours

This recipes serves: 4 people

Ingredients for the roast chicken.

1 Sutton Hoo chicken
1 onion
1 lemon
1 head garlic
1 handful thyme
100g butter
2 tsp flakey sea salt

Ingredients for the creamy, parmesan beans.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small knob butter
2 onions
2 stalks celery
2 cloves garlic
2 tins drained haricot beans
½ cup double cream
½ cup water
2 heaped tbsp cream cheese
80 g parmesan cheese
8 tbsp sourdough breadcrumbs
2 tbsp chicken fat from the roasting tin
4 anchovies
2 tbsp baby capers
1 clove garlic

Ingredients for the basil pesto.

25 g basil
15 g parsley
8 walnut halves
1 small clove garlic
1 lemon, juice only
6 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp flakey sea salt

Method for roasting chicken.

Preheat the oven to 350° f, or gas mark 4.
Pat the chicken dry, remove the giblets if needs be and save these for the stock.
Use your hands to smear the butter all over the chicken, then pop it into a suitably sized oven tray and season generously inside and out with flakey sea salt.
Peel and quarter the onion, halve the lemon, and cut the garlic bulb in half, then place these, along with the thyme, in and around the bird - the captivity, the neck, and tucked underneath.
Cook for 16 minutes per lbs (450g) plus an extra 20 minutes or until the juices run clear when the deepest part of the thigh is pierced with a thin skewer. Be sure to baste the chicken half way through cooking, and always allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Method for creamy parmesan beans.

While the chicken is in the oven you have time to make the bean gratin. Start by finely dicing the onion and celery, and mincing the garlic.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over a low heat. Sauté the onion and celery very gently for 10 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir often.
After 10 minutes add the garlic and a generous pinch of sea salt and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, and add the drained beans and stir things gently.
In a separate saucepan combine the cream and milk and warm slowly over a medium/low heat. Once warm, stir through the cream cheese a spoonful at a time, followed by the parmesan, a handful at a time. Stir to incorporate. Once you have a smooth, creamy sauce, turn off the heat.
Pour your parmesan cream over your beans and transfer this into a gratin dish or ovenproof serving dish.
For the crumb, blitz stale or toasted sourdough in a small blender, food processor or nutribullet until you have coarse bread crumbs. Measure out 8 tablespoons and keep any excess in the freezer.
Finely chop the anchovies and capers and mince the garlic then combine these with your breadcrumbs. Open the oven and pinch 2 generous tablespoons of chicken fat from the roasting tray. Mix everything together well then scatter over your creamy beans.
Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden and bubbling at the edges. Ideally bake your gratin during the final 10 minutes of the chicken’s roasting time and its 15 minutes resting time.

Method for pesto.

This is a simple whizz up job in a small blender, food processor, or pestle and mortar. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needs be.
Serve everything at the table, in warmed bowls with some simple steamed greens of your choice, dressed with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
And save those leftovers, including all bones! Keep your eyes peeled for the subsequent “Mop-up meal” recipe in the pecking order coming soon.