Juicy roast chicken with Dilruk Jayasinha

Join comedian Dilruk Jayasinha in the kitchen with Silvia Colloca to prepare a succulent roast chicken with lemon and saffron in under 30 minutes. By combining Smeg Galileo’s three cooking technologies – traditional, steam and microwave – Dilruk’s chicken is perfectly cooked and perfectly golden.  And tastes amazing paired with a spicy chickpea and cucumber salad.

Lemon and saffron roast chicken with spicy chickpeas and cucumber salad

Serves 4

1.6kg chicken

1/4 preserved lemon

1 onion, quartered

1 pinch saffron

1 clove garlic

Olive oil

Salt, pepper and paprika to taste

Cucumber salad

1 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoon yoghurt

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 Lebanese cucumber, sliced in 0.5cm rounds

½ bunch mint, leaves

½ bunch coriander, leaves

400g chickpea chips

HOW TO SET THE OVEN: COOKING > MULTITECH > MULTITECH > 240°C > 300 WATTS > 40% STEAM

OR: SMART COOKING > MEAT > CHICKEN & TURKEY > ROAST CHICKEN > 1.6KG

Set the oven and line a baking tray with baking paper. Place chicken on prepared tray, stuff the cavity with preserved lemon and onion quarters and add saffron and garlic.  Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and paprika. Cook on level 2. For cucumber salad, combine tahini, yoghurt, garlic and lemon juice with ¼ cup of water.  Pour over cucumber and herbs and top with the chickpea chips.

Serve chicken with natural juices and cucumber salad.