Butterflied chicken with caramelised onion, roast pumpkin and rocket salad
Last updated 13 July, 2021
Recipe from Tynte Street Quality Meats
48 Tynte Street, North Adelaide
(08) 8267 2603
Whip up a delicious chicken to wow your dinner guests at your dinner party.
Nathan and Danny have been supplying the good people of Adelaide for over 10 years, tucked away on Tynte Street, this North Adelaide favourite keeps their cabinet well stocked with Free-Range Chicken & Pork and Grass Fed Beef & Lamb, well trimmed at a great price.
Recipe for butterflied chicken with caramelised onion, roast pumpkin and rocket salad
Cooking time: 1 hour | Serves 4
- 1.6 kg free range whole chicken
- 4 tablespoons softened butter
- 2 lemons
- 1/2 bunch of parsley, most storks cut off
- 12 sprigs of lemon thyme or regular thyme
- 1 bulb of garlic, peeled and partly crushed with a knife
- 1 1/2 cups white wine or chicken stock
- 2 red onions, thinly sliced
- 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil + extra for brushing on chicken and over salad
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze
- 1/2 butternut pumpkin, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 35 g pine nuts or more according to taste
- 4 cubes goats cheese or similar soft cheese
- Rocket leaves
- Preheat oven to 220°C (210°C fan-forced).
- For the chicken, place butterflied chicken on a board, breast side up with them closest to you. Apply pressure downwards to flatten the chicken. Combine 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper in a bowl. Carefully loosen the skin with your fingers above the breast and place the butter under the skin, pat chicken skin with paper towels until dry. Cut the ends off the lemons, cut them into thirds (6 disks) and place them in a large circle on a baking paper lined roasting pan. Place parsley in the middle of the lemons, then thyme, followed by garlic. Place chicken on top of the bed of lemons and herbs, making sure lemons are covered by chicken. Brush with oil, salt and pepper, and scatter any leftover thyme leaves over the chicken. Add wine or stock and place in the oven for 45 minutes.
- For the vegetables, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a pan over low heat and add the thinly sliced onions to the pan with a good pinch of salt, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes. Once the onions have softened add caster sugar and 1 tablespoon of balsamic glaze in the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then place aside. For the pumpkin, place pumpkin on a baking tray lined with baking paper, pour over 2 tablespoons of oil, salt and nutmeg, mix and spread it out on the tray. Place the pumpkin in the oven once the chicken has been in the oven for 30 minutes.
- When the chicken is done, take it out and cover loosely and set aside to rest. Turn over pumpkin cubes and put them back in for another 10 minutes until they look dark.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry fry pan for 2 minutes, tossing regularly to add flavour, and then set aside.
- After 10 minutes in the oven, take out the pumpkin and set aside, scatter rocket on a platter or bowl then add onion, cheese, pine nuts, olive oil and balsamic glaze. Give it a good toss and then scatter the pumpkin over the top.
Tips:
- You can use boneless butterflied lamb leg (1.5 kg) in place of chicken
- You can use roast beetroot as well as pumpkin
Note for the home-butcher: To butterfly chicken, place chicken breast side up, legs facing you. Place a chefs knife inside the cavity along one side of the backbone, apply pressure slowly downwards to cut the chicken, do this again on the other side of the backbone. Place breast side down and nick breastbone between the wings (this will help flatten the chicken).