Well, quite frankly we're stuffed. As in, we ate a lot of food over the Christmas break. No doubt many of you reading this will have also over-indulged over the holidays, so here at Flame Tree we thought we should try and shape up a little over January. But just who would we be if we didn't impart some advice onto you, our lovely readers? 

Today's post comes courtesy of our excellent little book, Low Fat: Healthy Eating. It's packed with plenty of simple recipes that are also low in fat. As it's still pretty chilly out, we thought we would provide you with a hearty recipe that also packs a bit of heat. So eithout further ado, enjoy this recipe for delicious Chill Roast Chicken.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 3 medium-hot fresh red chillies, deseeded
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2.5 cm/1 inch piece fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander
• 1/2 tsp salt freshly ground black pepper
• 1.4 kg/3 lb oven-ready chicken
• 15 g/1/2 oz unsalted butter, melted
• 550 g/11/4 lb butternut squash fresh parsley and coriander sprigs, to garnish
• To serve: 4 baked potatoes seasonal green vegetables

Method 

i) Preheat the oven to 190˚C/ 375˚F/Gas Mark 5. Roughly chop the chillies and put in a food processor with the turmeric, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, olive oil, coriander, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Blend to a paste, leaving the ingredients still slightly chunky.

ii) Starting at the neck end of the chicken, gently ease up the skin to loosen it from the breast. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the paste. Push the remaining paste over the chicken breast under the skin, spreading it evenly.

iii) Put the chicken in a large roasting tin. Mix the reserved chilli paste with the melted butter. Use 1 tablespoon to brush evenly over the chicken, roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, halve, peel and scoop out the seeds from the butternut squash. Cut into large chunks and mix in the remaining chilli paste and butter mixture.

iv) Arrange the butternut squash around the chicken. Roast for a further hour, basting with the cooking juices about every 20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and the squash tender. Garnish with parsley and coriander. Serve hot with baked potatoes and green vegetables.

This is just one of many simple recipes you'll find in our excellent little book, Low Fat: Healthy Eating. To take a closer look at the title just click here.