Roast Spatchcocked Chicken with Green Bean and Crispy Crouton Salad

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

Chicken: Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold water and dry with kitchen towels.

To spatchcock the chicken: Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, cut down either side of the backbone and discard. Snip the wishbone and turn the chicken skin side up. Push the chicken flat against the bench to lie flat.

Combine the remaining ingredients and rub onto both sides of the chicken pushing some of the marinade under the skin of the breast. Season the chicken generously. Put the chicken skin side up on a rack set over a roasting dish. Pour ½ a cup of water into the base of the dish and roast for 1 hour, adding more water so the pan juices don’t dry up. Remove the rack and chicken, cover loosely and rest for 10 minutes. Add the bread to the roasting dish and turn to coat in the pan juices. Roast, turning frequently, until golden and crisp.

Salad: Soak the onion in cold water for 10 minutes then drain and squeeze dry in a clean tea-towel. Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the bread and any resting juices from the chicken. Season and place in a serving bowl.

To serve: Cut the chicken into serving pieces, arrange on a platter or board and serve the salad on the side. 

Ouzo: a clear, anise-flavoured liqueur from Greece, similar to Pernod.