The secret to this quick and delicious midweek roast dinner is butterflying the chicken. And, adding to that, this dish will make its own pan sauce – no need for gravy! Serve with buttery mash and greens to soak up all that saucy goodness.
Ingredients
– 2 lemons
– 1 garlic bulb, halved
– 2 small brown onions, peeled, sliced into thin rings
– 1.4kg whole chicken, butterflied
– 1 tbs sea salt
– 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
– 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
– 60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
– 185ml (3/4 cup) salt-reduced or homemade chicken stock
Method / Steps
Step 1
Preheat oven to 240°C/220°C fan-forced. Finely grate the rind of 1 lemon and place the rind in a mortar. Thinly slice the lemon. Remove 2 garlic cloves from one half of the garlic bulb and thinly slice. Place the sliced lemon and sliced garlic, halved garlic bulb and onion in the base of a large baking dish. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Place skin-side up in the prepared dish. Halve the remaining lemon and squeeze the juice over the chicken.
Step 2
Add the salt, basil and thyme leaves to the mortar. Use a pestle to crush until green paste forms. Season with pepper. Add 2 tbs of the oil and stir to combine. Pour over chicken and rub well into both sides, returning chicken skin-side up. Drizzle the remaining oil over the chicken and vegetables. Roast for 25 minutes or until the chicken starts to turn golden.
Step 3
Pour stock around chicken, avoiding chicken skin. Return pan to oven, rotating pan so chicken faces the opposite way. Roast for 15 minutes or until browned and chicken is cooked through. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes. Carve and serve.
source – cooking365coza
