Serves 4
Prep time | 10 minutes
Cooking time | about 40 minutes
Butterflying the chicken will reduce the cooking time. This recipe can be adapted to use 2 smaller chickens, just reduce the cooking time again. The chillies can be adjusted up or down according to your taste.
Ingredients
• 1 x 1.9 kg whole chicken
• 60g butter at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground hot chillies
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh oregano, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, zested
• 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. To butterfly the chicken, us a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to cut down either side of the backbone. Remove the backbone. Open the chicken outwards and using a sharp knife, remove the rib bones. Wipe out the bird with paper towel.
3. Turn the chicken over and, starting at the neck end, insert your fingers between the skin and the flesh of the breast. Carefully create a pocket in the breasts, thighs and drumsticks.
4. Mix the butter with paprika, chilli, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Spread the butter under the skin.
5. Cut the lemon in half, and place cut side down in a baking dish. Place the chicken on top of the lemons, and put the potatoes around the sides. Roast for 45-50 minutes or until the skin is richly golden. Carefully remove the chicken and lemon from the pan. Pour most of the pan juices into a cup and toss the potatoes gently in the remaining pan juices.
6. Put the potatoes back into the oven until the pan juices reduce down and the potatoes have a rich golden colour. Please note that these are not crunchy potatoes, they are soft and sticky and rich with a spicy, lemony flavour.
7. Brush the chicken with the reserved pan juices before serving. Serve with salad and chilli salt.
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