Roast Chicken with Pickled Lemons, Thyme and Garlic
David Rosam on Nov 25 2004 at 12:34 am | Filed under: Food & drink
Something I invented this evening, method based on Chicken with Nutmeg from River Café Cook Book Easy, a favourite recipe in the Rosam household.
1.5kg organic chicken
4 pickled lemons
Pack of fresh thyme
1 head of garlic
125ml dry vermouth
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Serves 4.
Heat the oven to 190 deg C or Gas 5.
Open up a pocket between the breast skin and meat on each side of the chicken. Chop up the pickled lemons roughly.
Put half of the lemons and one-third of the thyme into each pocket. Then put the remaining thyme and the garlic in the body cavity.
Rub the chicken all over with good quality olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place the chicken breast-side down in a roasting pan and put in the pre-heated oven. After 30 minutes, add the vermouth, and cook for a further 60 minutes. Turn the chicken over for the last 20 minutes.
Let the chicken sit for 20 minutes before carving. Reserve the pan juices.
Pour off any fat from the pan juices, and bubble to reheat. Stir to incorporate any roasted or sticky bits, adjust seasoning and pour over the carved chicken.
Serve with a mashed root vegetable - celeriac, swede or potato - and a steamed green vegetable. Take the roasted garlic from the chicken’s cavity and squeeze two or more garlic cloves into the vegetables during mashing.
