| Preparation | 30 mins |
| Cook | 1 hr |
| Serves | 4 |
Ingredients
- 50g butter, softened
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 1tsp fresh oregano
- 1 tbsp lemon thyme leaves
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 small whole lemon
- 4 sprigs sage
- 1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
- 1x 2-3kg Whole chicken
- 3 red onions, quartered
- Greek extra virgin olive oil
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan forced
Step 2
Thoroughly mash the butter, lemon zest, oregano, lemon thyme, sweet paprika, salt and crushed garlic together.
Step 3
Gently separate the skin over the breast of the chicken and push most of the herb butter in between the skin and the flesh. Pat a little butter over the outside of the chicken and a little into the cavity. Poke holes all over the whole lemon, only as far as the flesh, and place it, along with the sage sprigs and loose pieces of garlic from the top half of the garlic head, into the cavity of the chicken.
Step 4
Place the chicken onto a roasting dish with the bottom half of the garlic head and scatter the onions around it. Drizzle a little olive oil over the onions and place in the hot oven. After 30 minutes, decrease the oven temperature to 180°C/160°C fan forced. Turn the onions and roast for a further 30 minutes.
Step 5
To check if the chicken is cooked, pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a knife or skewer. If the juices run clear, it is ready. Otherwise return to the oven for a further 10 minutes and test again.
Step 6
Once cooked, remove from the oven and cover with foil to rest for approximately 15 minutes.