Method
Serves 4
Create a double layer sheet of tinfoil, large enough to
completely wrap the chicken into a suitably sized roasting pan.
Don't worry about the overhang or there being gaps in the foil, as
this will help during the cooking process.
Place the chopped onion and whole chicken onto the foil in the
roasting pan. Place the two lemon halves into the chicken cavity
together with the rosemary.
Cover the breast and legs with a coating of butter and finally
overlap the strips of bacon neatly over the breast and thighs. Now
gather up the sides of the foil and bring together creating a kind
of envelope.
Add 1 cup of water into bottom of roasting pan and place chicken
into a preheated oven at 220°C for 20 minutes, then turn down oven
to 165°C to continue roasting a further 1 hour.
Remove chicken from oven, taking care as it is very hot! Remove
foil as much as possible. Now baste the whole chicken well with the
butter and roasting juices, return chicken to the oven to colour
and finish cooking a further 20-25 minutes. Baste well every 10
minutes or so until golden.
Remove from the oven and carefully lift chicken from the
roasting tray onto your chosen platter. Wrap with foil to keep warm
and rest a good 20 minutes before carving.
SAGE AND LEMON ZEST
STUFFING
Serves 6
Heat butter and sage in a saucepan. Add garlic, celery and onion
and cook until soft and just lightly golden.
Take pan off the heat, add bread cubes and while cooling add
lemon zest, ginger, nutmeg, beaten egg and enough salt and pepper
to taste great.
Mix everything together well. Spread into a greased cake tin and
set aside.
Place in oven when the chicken comes out - turn up oven to cook
for 20 minutes at 180°C until golden on top.
TIPS
- This seasoning is a vegetarian recipe and so can help look
after any veggies in the family.
- This recipe will fill a 20cm ovenproof dish, cake tin or 6
smaller individual ramekins.