Rosemary & Garlic Roast Chicken with Preserved Lemon & Pilacca, by Ben

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We are delighted to be working with renowned chef and restaurateur, Ben Tish, who has created a deliciously Mediterranean recipe using our Properly Free Range Whole Chicken. Over to you Ben...

"Who doesn’t love a roast chicken- for me, it’s quite a ceremonial thing and always feels special, like an occasion. This is something I might do mid-week as a treat, but could be a great Sunday lunch alternative."

"The preserved lemons have wonderful qualities in cooking- they bring a tangy, salty, pickle that permeates the chicken- a trick I picked up from a friend of mine living in Trapani on the far west coast of Sicily. My go-to condiment, Pilacca, Is a perfect foil for the rich roast chicken – essentially a Sicilian style roasted chilli sauce with sweet, sour tang- I can’t get enough of it."

"I'd serve this with a fresh, green salad with a sharp, lemony dressing and some crispy roasted potatoes."

Ingredients

For the Pilacca
300ml

Extra virgin olive oil
10

Fresh red chillis
3

Cloves of garlic
3 tsp

Caster sugar
75ml

Red wine vinegar
1

Zest of orange
For the Chicken
1

Whole Chicken
1

Clove of garlic
6

Fresh rosemary sprigs
5

Preserved lemons, small
100g

Unsalted butter
1 pinch

Sea salt
1 pinch

Black pepper

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Method

First make the pilacca- heat 100ml of the oil over a high heat. Fry the chillies until blistered and softened. Remove from the oil and drain well.
When cool, chop the chilli, transfer to a bowl and mix with the garlic, sugar and vinegar. Pour over the remaining oil, stir and cover. Marinate for at least a couple of hours before serving- but it will keep for many days covered in the fridge.
Heat and oven to 200C. Season the cavity of the chicken and place the garlic insides along with 2 sprigs of rosemary and 3 of the preserved lemons.
Now, finely chop the rest of the rosemary and the preserved lemons and mix with the softened butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Carefully, push your fingers under the skin of the chicken breasts, starting from the top, to make pockets- don’t break or puncture the skin. Push in the softened butter and smooth down to fill the pockets evenly. Drizzle some oil over the chicken and the season well all over.
Place the chicken on a tray in the oven and roast for 30 minutes to brown the skin and then turn the oven down to 180C and continue cooking for about 50 minutes to an hour, or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. The skin will be a deep golden brown.
Remove from the oven and rest for 30 minutes before carving and serving.
Remove the breast and legs from the chicken and serve with the buttery juices poured over and the pilacca on the side.