Recipe by Georgia East

Combining the verdantly fresh flavours of thyme, rosemary and seasonal vegetables like bay fennel, leeks and asparagus, this recipe for classic roast chicken is great for entertaining as it easily feeds a crowd. A generous splash of Vin de Joie rosé in the base of the roasting dish makes a delicious jus as the chickens cook.

Prep time: 30 mins /Cook time: 1.5 hours /Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 large organic chickens (about 1kg each)
• 50ml olive oil
• 5 sprigs thyme, leaves finely chopped
• 5 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 400ml Vin de Joie rosé

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Rinse the chickens and pat dry with kitchen towel. Place the chickens into a large roasting dish and set aside. In a small jug, combine the olive oil, herbs, lemon juice and zest, garlic and salt and pepper. Spoon the marinade over the chickens, being careful to poke any larger pieces of garlic into the pockets between breast and skin. Stuff the cavity of each chicken with the squeezed lemon halves. Set the chickens breast-side up down in the dish and pour the wine into the base.

Cover the entire dish with foil and roast in a preheated 220°C oven for 30 minutes before removing the foil and turning the oven down to 180°C for the remaining hour. The wine in the bottom of the dish will thicken with the roasting juices and get syrupy – perfect for mopping up with fresh bread. If halfway through cooking the dish requires more liquid, simply add in more wine or a little water and continue to roast.

Serve the roast chickens with sautéed asparagus and baby leeks and La Motte Vin de Joie Rosé.