Jane Clarke explains:  “Chicken is a great choice if you want a healthy roast dinner, as it has less fat than red meat and is packed with protein and other essential nutrients. If you’re watching your weight then follow these simple tips, designed to help you cut out unnecessary calories and fat, leaving you with an utterly delicious roast. The skin of the chicken is one of my favourite bits but it does contain higher amounts of fat than the rest of the bird. However, follow the tips below and you really can have your skin and eat it!”

 Whether you prefer a traditional roast chicken or like to add an exotic twist, it’s such a simple meal to prepare. By choosing Great British Chicken, you’ll know that you’re getting fresh farm-assured British birds that are fully traceable back to independently-assessed farms. Just look for the Great British Chicken logo or Red Tractor and Union Jack on packs.

Jane Clarke’s Top Tips For Cooking a Healthier Roast

 ·  Cut out the oil.  Chicken has enough natural fat to make it crispy and delicious without needing to add extra oil. To make sure it stays moist, put a little chicken stock in the bottom of the roasting dish, and then cover the chicken with cooking foil while it is in the oven. About 30 minutes before the chicken is ready, remove the foil, so that the skin goes crispy.

 ·  Zest it up.  To help absorb some of the excess fat, place half a lemon or half an onion inside the chicken while cooking. This will also flavour the meat. Discard the lemon or onion after cooking.

 ·  Steaming good.  Rather than cooking your root vegetables in the roasting tin next to the chicken, where they will soak up the fat, dry bake them on a separate tray or with a little olive oil. Instead of boiling your vegetables, try steaming or cooking them in the microwave as they will retain more nutrients. Also, rather than seasoning with salt, sprinkle lemon juice and pepper over the vegetables as a healthier but equally tasty substitute.

 ·  Be a sweetie.  Swap normal potatoes for sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes have a lower GI rating, which means it will take your body longer to digest and the energy will be released over a longer period of time.

 ·  Stuffing without the stuffing.  If you are making stuffing, don’t use it to stuff the chicken. Instead, cook the stuffing in a separate ovenproof dish. That way it won’t absorb the fat from the bird.