Recipe: Organic Red Miso Roast Chicken with Onions, Courgette and Potatoes

This month has been a whirlwind of organic loveliness. You may have noticed a bit more of an emphasis generally on organic food as part of Organic September. Earlier this month I also enjoyed a trip to the Bio Bazar in Warsaw – a whole area of organic markets within the city within a set of buildings which date back to the 1830’s, hosting individuals and stall holders exclusively selling organic produce – it was very inspiring! I tried everything from organic Polish apples, to organic wine and even found whole organic kale trees for sale! Back at home here in the UK, it was also a real treat to come back to a whole box of organic food, as part of the ‘Organic. Naturally Different’ campaign. I threw myself into the #OrganicUnboxed challenge – unpacking a box filled with some of our very best British organic produce and trying out some easy recipes. Today, I’m sharing one of my favourite recipes made from some of the ingredients in the box – organic Red Miso Roast Chicken with Onions, Courgette and Potatoes.

Organic Unboxed

My mystery box of ingredients included a number of items from brands I was already familiar with, but there were also a few surprises too. I received a beautiful Daylesford Farm Organic Chicken, potatoes and onions from the Tesco organic range, Yeo Valley butter and natural yoghurt, Clearspring green pea and quinoa pasta and a bottle of organic soya sauce, Doves Farm organic flour, Mr Organic’s fusilli and canned beans (we already but Mr Organic’s tinned tomatoes as they are BPA-free), a selection of organically grown strawberries, raspberries, limes and watercress and a lovely bottle of organic red wine from the Vintage Roots, Organic Rouge range. Our family loves roast chicken so it seemed like a great idea to create something tasty with the Daylesford bird. I was probably the most intrigued by the fresh red miso paste by Tideford Organics and since I had never cooked with fresh miso paste before, both the organic chicken and the fresh miso inspired me to come up with a Sunday roast dinner with a miso twist. Tideford fresh miso paste is unpasteurised and made from soya beans, rice and koji culture. It happens to be organic, GM free, gluten free, low fat and vegan. I was interested to experiment with it as it seemed to me to be a great addition to the fridge to add a quick ‘umami’ hit to some of my go-to recipes.

Why buy organic?

Whilst you may consider organic food to be something of a luxury, in fact, there are so many organic ingredients readily available now, that it is easier than ever before to look out for offers on organic produce. The key benefit to buying organic is that crops are exposed to fewer pesticides, therefore organic farming is naturally more environmentally friendly. Research also shows that organic crops are up to 60% higher in a number of key anti-oxidants and that both organic milk and meat contain approximately 50% more omega-3 fatty acids, thought to be particularly beneficial to our health. Certified organic livestock, such as chicken, beef, lamb and pork also have more space to roam, they are pasture fed and have higher welfare standards. For us as a family, this means that if we can buy organic where possible, not only are we able to support better farming practices, but we also benefit personally and directly from a better standard of food in terms of nutrients and omega 3’s.

Since the potatoes were from the Tesco Organic range I was happy to leave the skin on. I simply washed them and par-boiled them before roasting them alongside the chicken. I also coated the onions and courgettes in the red miso paste mixed with a little organic soya sauce and they were lovely, too. The meal came together really well – we were all surprised by the delicious flavour of the red miso which also created a lovely crispy and well-flavoured skin, with some of the flavour going through into the chicken itself. The children also liked the sweetness of the miso roasted onions and courgettes.

I hope you try this recipe – it’s a real treat and the whole family loved the miso twist.

For more organic recipes, follow Organic UK on Facebook or Twitter. You can follow our social media adventures too by searching for the tag #organicunboxed. Madeline Shaw has also made an #organicunboxed video as part of the campaign which you can watch here #ad

For more organic recipes take a look at:

The Little Sunny Kitchen’s Organic Coq au Vin

Amuse Your Bouche/Becca’s Pasta in Miso Brown Butter Sauce

Veggie Dessert’s Miso Roasted Mushrooms with Courgetti – Kate also has some great tips on reducing food waste by using organic vegetables and peelings within recipes, such as vegetable cakes!

Here’s my video too!

With thanks to Organic UK Food. This post contains a commissioned/sponsored recipe for the Organic Unboxed campaign. My trip to Warsaw was personal/unconnected to this campaign.