Roast Chicken With Chickpea Stuffing

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Step 2

Season with salt and pepper inside of the chicken. Put tarragon and butter in a bowl and mix well until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Loosen the chicken skin by gently pushing your fingers underneath its skin. Then push the tarragon butter under the loosened skin so covering the whole crown.

Step 3

Place the chickpeas into a bowl, season with salt and pepper and add the chilies, lemon zest, thyme leaves and a dash of olive oil. Good mix. Spoon the chickpea mixture inside the chicken cavity and place the whole lemon at the entrance.

Step 4

Put the garlic heads, cut side down, in a roasting tin. Place the chicken on top and drizzle with olive oil. salt, pepper the outside of the chicken and roast for 10-15 minutes, until turning golden and beginning to crisp up. Reduce the heat to 375°F and continue roasting for 1¼-1½ hours, until cooked through and golden all over.

Step 5

Take lemon from the inside cavity of the bird and spoon the stuffing into a large bowl. Place the chicken on a warm platter, cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Step 6

Separate all the lettuce leaves and tear any really large ones into pieces. Place in a salad bowl along with the spinach and avocado.

Step 7

Then put all the dressing ingredients except the oil into a bowl and whisk well. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, then add the oil and mix until emulsified. Set aside.

Step 8

Take the garlic out of the pan then squeeze the pulp into a sieve placed over the bowl of stuffing. Slice the roasted lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the garlic. Run the garlic and juice through the sieve with the back of a spoon. Mash the entire contents of the bowl with a potato masher,  add 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Mix well, then transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with a little extra olive oil.

Step 9

Then add 2 tbsp. of the dressing to the salad, toss, taste and adjust the seasoning to taste, adding a little more dressing if you need.

Step 10

Serve immediately with roasted chicken and stuffing.