Roast Chicken, Lentil & Root Veg Winter Salad

This vibrant winter salad puts delicious seasonal root vegetables at centre stage for a healthy and hearty meal

15 minutes prep, 25 minutes cook

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the chicken:

4 x free range chicken supremes

A handful of fresh thyme

2 tbsps harissa paste

Rapeseed oil

For the veg:

8 rainbow carrots, cut in half down the centre

4 small or 2 large rainbow beets, cut into quarters (keep the beetroot leaves for the salad if you can)

8 baby red onions, cut into quarters, skin on

2 garlic bulbs, cut in half through the centre

1 tbsp honey

For the chilli oil dressing:

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsps chilli oil

Sea salt

Cracked pepper

To serve:

250g cooked Puy lentils

A handful of mint

100g toasted hazelnuts

250g yoghurt

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/Fan 180ºC/Gas 6 and line 2 deep baking trays with baking paper. In a bowl, mix together the fresh thyme, harissa and oil. Marinade the chicken in this for 10 minutes (or ideally overnight); make sure it’s coated well and pop the chicken onto one of the lined trays. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 20-25 minutes depending on the size of the chicken.

In a bowl, smother the carrots, beets, garlic and onions in the oil, salt, pepper and a little honey (do the beets separately as they will stain everything else). Pour onto the tray and bake in the oven with the chicken for 20 minutes

To make the dressing, mix together all the ingredients, taste to season and set aside. Heat the lentils as per the instructions on the pack, then dress with a little of your chilli oil dressing and set aside.

Now you are ready to plate up. Place your roast veggies and chicken on a beautiful platter. Fill bowls with the mint, toasted hazelnuts, yoghurt, lentils, dressing and beet leaves and let everyone create their own plates. Tuck in!