Ingredients

Method

• 2 free-range chickens
• 2–3 lemons, halved
• 2 heads garlic, halved
• 10 g fresh thyme or rosemary
• 3–4 T olive oil
• sea salt, to taste
• 200 g butter

Method

Ingredients

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Make sure the chickens are dry and season inside and out with salt and black pepper.

2. Stuff the cavities with the lemon, garlic and herbs, truss the legs and arrange in a large, deep baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with more salt. Roast for 30–40 minutes until crispy and golden. Reduce the temperature to 180°C and melt the butter in a pan until brown and foamy. Take care not to burn it.

3. Pour the butter over the chickens and baste with the pan juices and butter every 5 minutes for 20–30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and the juices run clear. Serve immediately.

Cook's note: After roasting many chickens for a Woolworths TV shoot, this method was the winner. Butter-basting gives you DIY rotisserie chicken.

Find more roast chicken recipes here. 

Photographs: Jan Ras
Food assistant: Ellen Schwerdtfeger