This method of roasting a chicken and serving it over freshly made sour dough breadcrumbs revolutionizes your typical Sunday roast. Inspired by Ina Garten's recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Barefoot in Paris, this dish is a delicious comfort as we pile on a few more layers and prepare for autumn.

This recipe is also relatively easy to prepare. You will end up with golden brown and slightly burnt caramelized onions, lemony chicken drippings, the juiciest meat and golden crispy skin. The bed of buttery crunchy croutons act as a a super-tasty vessel for all of the juices. For some green, I roasted some fresh asparagus with a little salt, pepper and olive oil which compliments the chicken with a light woody flavour.

Ingredients

1 1.5 Kilo free range organic chicken

Very large handful of rosemary

One lemon, quartered

One large onion, sliced

One sour dough French boule preferably slightly stale

2 bunches of asparagus

Olive oil

Large knob of butter

Salt & pepper

Method

First, prep your chicken. Pre-heat the oven to 190C. In a medium roasting tray, place the onions, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and give it a good mix. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the fresh rosemary and lemon wedges, tie the legs together with string and place in the roasting tray on top of the onions. Drizzle olive oil over the bird, making sure all of the skin is coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in the oven for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the juices run clear or it reaches the appropriate temperature for poultry on a meat thermometer.

Baste at least once through out the cooking process and when it is done, rest for at least 15 minutes.

Prep the asparagus by removing the tough parts of the stalks. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put directly into the 190C oven immediately after you remove the chicken for about 15 minutes or until it softens and starts to brown.

Cut your French boule into 1 inch pieces. Heat a skillet or pan (I used a large wok) to medium high heat. Add a big glug of olive oil and a good knob of butter until melted. Then add the bread crumbs and stir until the oil and butter is absorbed and the bread turns a lovely shade of golden brown and is crisp on all sides.

On a large platter, place the breadcrumbs in the centre then remove all of the onions and juices from the roasting tray and pour all over the breadcrumbs. Remove the lemons and rosemary form the chicken cavity, snip the string on the legs and serve the chicken on top of the croutons and onions.

Serve with the roasted asparagus and enjoy!