1 x 2.5 kg whole free-range chicken
400 g sourdough bread
olive oil
1 bulb of garlic
1 x 50 g tin of anchovies in oil , from sustainable sources
1 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley , (30g)
2 fresh red chillies
extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
4 romaine lettuces
150 g mixed-colour radishes
1 cucumber
½ a bunch of fresh chives , (15g)
BRINE
4 tablespoons black peppercorns
4 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 litres fresh apple juice
100 g sea salt
½ a bunch of fresh thyme , (15g)
12 fresh bay leaves
6 dried red chillies
CAESAR DRESSING
50 g Parmesan cheese , plus extra to serve
1 teaspoon English mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
250 g Greek yoghurt
1 lemon
Method
- For the brine, toast the peppercorns and fennel seeds in a large pot over a high heat for 1 minute, then add the apple juice, sea salt, thyme and bay.
- Crumble in the dried chillies and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat, top up with 1 litre of cold water, then leave to cool completely.
- Use a sharp knife to carefully cut down the back of the chicken so you can open it out flat, then add to the cooled brine (transfer to a bigger container, if needed).
- Cover with clingfilm and leave in the fridge for at least 12 hours, then drain and pat dry with kitchen paper.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.
- Tear the sourdough into big chunks, and put aside. Rub 1 tablespoon of olive oil all over the chicken and place it directly on the bars of the oven, skin-side up, and place a large tray exactly underneath to catch any tasty juices.
- Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 160ºC/325ºF/gas 3. Add the sourdough to the juices in the tray, then break up the garlic bulb and scatter in the unpeeled cloves, then toss everything together to coat.
- Roast for 1 hour, or until the chicken is golden and cooked through, tossing the sourdough croutons occasionally for even cooking. Leave the chicken to rest for 30 minutes before carving.
- Drain the anchovies (saving the oil) and slice in half lengthways, then arrange on a plate in a criss-cross fashion.
- Finely chop the parsley stalks, reserving the leaves for later. Finely slice the chilli and scatter over the anchovies, along with the parsley stalks. Drizzle over ½ a tablespoon each of the reserved anchovy oil and extra virgin olive oil, then finely grate over half the lemon zest and squeeze over half the juice. Leave to marinate.
- For the Caesar dressing, finely grate the Parmesan into a bowl, add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and yoghurt, then whisk to combine.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice, pour in 8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and mix again. Taste and season to perfection, loosening with a splash of water, if needed.
- Trim the lettuces and radishes and scrape a fork down the sides of the cucumber. Finely slice the radishes, cucumber, parsley leaves and chives, roughly chop the lettuce and place everything in a large bowl.
- Arrange the chicken and half the garlicky croutons on a board. Add the remaining croutons to the bowl of salad, pour over half the dressing and toss everything together.
- Shave over a little Parmesan with a speed-peeler, then bring to the table with the marinated anchovies, chicken, extra croutons and dressing. Let everyone dig in and build their own Caesar salad.
source : https://www.jamieoliver.com
