30 minute Sunday roast

Preparation Time

30 minutes

Serves

For 2 adults and 2 littles

Ingredients

The week often doesn’t feel complete without a Sunday roast to feast on till you pop. But when you have little ones running around, it’s hard to find the time to spend hours in the kitchen prepping all the components. Here’s roast chicken with roasties, veg, gravy AND yorkshires that you can get ready in just 30 minutes!

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC fan (240ºC/475ºF/Gas 9) and drizzle a tiny amount of oil into each hole of a 24-hole mini muffin tray. Pop in the oven to heat up.

2. Halve any larger potatoes lengthways and put them all in a microwaveable dish. Cover and cook on full power for 4 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, put the chicken thighs, skin-side up, into a large roasting tray lined with non-stick foil. Pour the hot stock into the tray, then drizzle over the oil and lemon juice, adding the squeezed rind to the tray too. Nestle the onion wedges between the chicken pieces. Add all of the other seasonings, making sure to evenly sprinkle over each piece of chicken.

4. Put the potatoes onto a separate baking tray. Add the oil and stir to coat, then pop both the potato and chicken trays into the oven for 20–25 minutes.

5. Now quickly make up the Yorkshire pudding batter by adding all the ingredients to a jug and whisking until smooth. Very carefully remove the hot muffin tray from the oven, shutting the door behind you. Quickly fill each hole three-quarters full and get the tray on the top shelf of the oven as soon as possible to bake for 12–15 minutes. Don’t open the door for at least 12 minutes.

6. While everything roasts, get prepped for the gravy. Add the cornflour to a small bowl with 1 tbsp of water and mix well until you have a smooth, silky slurry. Put a kettle filled with water on to boil and set a small saucepan with a dash of water over a high heat.

7. Now is a good time to boil your chosen veg for 4–7 minutes, or until tender.

8. By now the chicken should be cooked through with the skin crispy, the potatoes lovely and golden and the Yorkshire puddings puffed up well. Take everything out of the oven.

9. Transfer the chicken, onions and lemon rind to a serving dish, then pour the juices from the roasting tray into the hot saucepan, scraping in as much of the crispy chicken pieces as you can – this is where all the favour is! Add 200ml (7 oz) of boiled kettle water and the soy and Worcestershire sauces, and bring to the boil. Add the cornflour slurry, stirring continuously for a minute – it should thicken quickly.

10. To serve a roast dinner to little ones, cut the potatoes in half lengthways, remove the chicken from the bone and tear the Yorkshire pudding up a bit. Soak the Yorkshire pudding in a little gravy to soften the edges.

Note

You will need an oven with at least three shelves, or multiple trays which will fit snuggly on one shelf. If you’re struggling for space, you may need to skip the Yorkshire puddings or swap roasties for mash instead.

What Mummy Makes: Family Meal Planner by Rebecca Wilson. Published by DK, 10 December, £9.99.