Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 1 chicken, about 1.35 kg, without giblets
- ½ cup (15 g) fresh coriander leaves
- ½ cup (15 g) fresh parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons unflavoured fromage frais or butter
- 150 ml dry white wine
- salt and pepper
Preparation
- To servelemon slicessprigs of fresh coriander or parsleyPreheat the oven to 180°C.
- Grate the zest from the lemon, then cut the lemon in half.
- Hold the chicken on end in a small roasting pan and squeeze the lemon juice inside the cavity (make sure that the juice doesn’t run straight out of the other end).
- Push the lemon halves inside the cavity and sprinkle in half of the zest.
- Place the chicken in the pan, breast side up.
- Very carefully ease your fingers under the skin, starting at the neck end.
- Loosen the skin over the breasts and thighs, without breaking it.
- Combine the herbs and garlic in a blender or food processor and process until finely chopped.
- Add the fromage frais or butter, remaining lemon zest and seasoning, and process again briefly to mix.
- (Alternatively, chop the herbs and garlic finely with a knife, then mix with the other ingredients.
- ) Push the paste under the skin, easing it along so that it covers the breasts and thighs evenly in a thin layer.
- Secure the end of the neck skin by folding the wing tips under.
- Cover the chicken with foil and roast for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil and roast, uncovered, for a further 1–1¼ hours or until the juices run clear when a knife is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh.
- Baste once or twice with the juices in the pan.
- Lift up the chicken, tipping it so that the juices can run out of the cavity into the pan.
- Set the chicken aside on a carving board to rest.
- Skim all the fat from the surface of the juices in the pan, then bring to the boil on top of the cooker.
- Add the wine and bring back to the boil, scraping up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Boil the pan sauce for 1 minute.
- Season to taste.
- Carve the chicken into slices or serving pieces.
- Garnish with lemon slices and sprigs of coriander or parsley.
- Serve with the pan sauce.