Roast Chicken with preserved lemon

Ingredients

• 1.5kg Family Roast Chicken
• 70g unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tablespoon thyme leaves
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 small preserved lemon, pips discarded, flesh and skin roughly chopped
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 1½ tablespoon juice, to drizzle
• Flaky sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190°C.
2. Put the butter, thyme, garlic, preserved lemon, lemon zest, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper in a food processor. Blitz, then set aside.
3. With the chicken’s legs pointing towards you, use your hands to loosen the skin from the breasts. Spread the butter mixture over the breasts and under the skin and over the legs.
4. Put the chicken in a baking tray, drizzle with the lemon juice and sprinkle with  salt and pepper.
5. Roast for about 70 minutes, basting every 15 minutes or so, until the skin is golden-brown and crisp, and the juices run clear. Remove from the oven, leave to rest for 10 minutes, then carve and serve.