Best low-fat recipe for Christmas dinner

Roast Chicken and Veggies

Christmas doesn’t mean you have to spend the following weeks wallowing about, regretting how much you ate. There are ways to get all the flavoursome treats but with less calories; enter the roast chicken with veggies! Chicken is a juicy, lean meat packed with flavour that’s hearty enough for a Christmas meal, just follow our simple steps below!

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (+- 1.5kg)

1 lemon – zest and juice

2 Tbsp olive oil

+- 4 thyme sprigs

+- 4 rosemary sprigs

500g butternut, cut into pieces

300g carrots, cut up

300g beetroot

1 red onion, cut into wedges

1 bulb garlic, separated

100g baby spinach (optional)

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180C. Place the chicken in a large roasting tray, rub the lemon all over, along with half of the oil. Sprinkle the thyme, rosemary, and seasoning over the chicken. Pop it in the oven for 25 minutes.
2. In a bowl, toss together the butternut, onion, carrots, beetroot, lemon zest, oil and black pepper.
3. Take the chicken out the oven and place the veggies and garlic cloves all around the chicken. Try to get some garlic cloves under the chicken for flavouring! Place the tray back in the oven for another 45 minutes, turning the veggies after 20 minutes. Check the chicken and veggies when time is up – the chicken should be cooked and the veggies starting to brown.  
4. Place the chicken aside for 10 minutes to settle, wrapped in foil. Wilt the spinach in a saucepan with a tiny bit of water and some pepper. Serve the chicken with the veggies and spinach on the side and enjoy!