Whole Roast Free Range Chicken

Whole Roast Free Range Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg whole free range chicken

• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh garlic

• 1 bulb of garlic, separate the cloves but leave the skins on

• 150gm of salted butter at room temperature

• 1 ½ tablespoons of finely chopped rosemary

• 1 ½ tablespoons of chopped sage

• 2 medium brown onions cut into quarters

• 12 small/pickling onions peeled and left whole

•1 large lemon cut into quarters

•1 tablespoon of lemon zest finely grated

• Extra virgin olive oil

•Freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt

• Baking twine

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 220°c. Stuff the chicken with quartered onion and quartered lemon and rosemary sprigs.

Carefully lift the skin off the flesh starting from the neck end using your fingers, easing your hand down and loosening the skin as far as you can go down the breast, thighs and drumsticks with out tearing the skin.

Place the butter in a bowl and gently mix in the garlic, rosemary, sage, lemon zest.

Carefully stuff the butter mixture under the chicken skin. Gently smooth the butter out under the skin and gently push the mixture around using your fingers so it is evenly spread down the length and across the width of the chicken. This will ensure that whichever piece of chicken you get has flavour to it. Truss the chicken with the twine so it is ready to be cooked.

Pat dry the chicken with kitchen paper towel. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the chicken and rub into the skin. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. This will create a delicious crisp skin. Place the chicken in a lightly greased deep baking tray and then place the small onions and the cloves of garlic around the chicken.

Roast the chicken breast side up at 220°c for the first 20 minutes then reduce the heat to 180°c and cook for a further hour and ten minutes or until the juice of the chicken runs clear when pierced in the thickest section of the thigh.

Serve the chicken with roast the onions, garlic and a fresh side salad or steamed greens.