Skin-on whole chicken – 1 of about 1 kg (2 lb) weight, washed and patted fry
Garlic – 2 to 4 cloves, minced
Dried rosemary – 2 tsp, lightly crushed
Unsalted butter – 3 tbsp (40 gms), at room temperature
Salt and pepper to taste
Whole head of garlic – 1, cut in half (cross-section wise)
Lemon – 1, halved
Onion – 2, large, cut into thick round slices
For the potatoes
Potatoes – 4, large, thoroughly washed, dried and cut into large chunks (No need to peel! YAY!)
Garlic – 10 to 12 cloves, unpeeled
Dried rosemary – 2 tsp, lightly crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 220 C (425F) for at least 10 minutes.
Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the olive oil on a large roasting/baking dish and coat all over well. Add the potato cubes, whole garlic cloves, rosemary, salt and pepper. Drizzle one more teaspoon of olive oil over them and toss everything together. Arrange them along the sides of the dish and leave a space in the center for onions and chicken.
Arrange the onion slices in the middle in a single layer and sprinkle some salt over it. Set aside.
Next we will prepare the butter for the chicken. In a small bowl, mix the soft butter with rosemary, minced garlic, salt and pepper using a fork to make a homogeneous paste.
Take ¾ of this mixture and put it under the skin over the breast i.e. between the breast and the skin and massage it well to smear as evenly as possible. Place the remaining butter on top of the chicken covering all parts.
Stuff the inside cavity of the chicken with the halved whole lemon and the halved whole head of garlic. Then tie the chicken legs together with a kitchen twine or thread.
Place the prepared chicken on top of the onion slices in the roasting fish. Tuck the winds under and sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over the top.
Bake the chicken for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the thickest part, which is around the chicken thighs, reaches 78C/170 F.
Remove it from oven and cover it with an aluminum foil for about 15 minutes before carving.
Carve the chicken into approximately 8 pieces and serve hot with roasted potatoes and caramelized onions.
Notes
1. Use as fresh chicken as possible.
2. Do not roast a frozen chicken. Thaw it completely before preparing it.
3. The roasting temperature is very important; do not open the oven door frequently, especially for the first 40 minutes as the temperature will drop while you open the door resulting in an uneven baking.
4. In case you don’t have a thermometer to check the temperature, cut the thickest part of the bird and check if the juices run clear and no traces of pink exist. Additionally you can also insert a toothpick and satay stick and it should go inside the meat without much resistance.
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at http://www.flavorquotient.com/2015/05/whole-roast-chicken/