Ingredients

Method

For the brine:
• 4 cups water
• 220 g salt
• 50 g brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 4 bay leaves
• 10 peppercorns
• 1 rosemary
• 1 sprig sprig thyme
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 free-range chickens, butterflied
• 3 T canola oil
• sea salt, to taste
• lemon halves, roasted, for serving
For the garlic mayonnaise:
• 3 free-range egg yolks
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 3 cups canola or sunflower oil
• 2 lemons, juiced
• salt, to taste

Method

Ingredients

1. To make the brine, place all the ingredients in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar and salt have dissolved.

2. Remove from the heat and cool. To speed up the cooling process, pour the brine into a container with a larger surface area.

3. Lay the chickens on top of each other in a large dish and pour over the cooled brine. Ensure that the chickens are submerged, then chill for 8 hours.

4. Remove the chickens from the brine and pat dry, discarding the brine. Lay the chickens on a cooling rack on top of a baking tray (this allows for more air circulation), then place in the fridge uncovered for a further 6–8 hours, or until the skin of the chicken begins to tighten, forming darker spots where the moisture has been drawn out. This will result in a crispier skin.

5. Remove the chicken from the fridge 1 hour before roasting and preheat the oven to 180°C.

6. Brush the skin with oil and sprinkle with salt. Place the chicken skin-side up on the wire rack on the baking tray and roast for 30 minutes.

7. Increase the heat to 200°C and roast for a further 15 minutes, or until the skin is golden and crisp. You don’t have to turn the chickens over and cook further, but if you’d like more colour on the underside, turn and roast for a further 5
minutes at 220°C. Add a few lemon halves in the last few minutes of roasting.

8. Remove the chickens from the oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, prepare the mayo.

9. To make the mayo, place the egg yolks, mustard and garlic in a bowl. Whisk to combine, then slowly drizzle in the oil in a slow steady stream, while whisking, until it thickens. Once all the oil has been added, you should have a very thick mayonnaise. Add the lemon juice, tasting often until the correct level of acidity and texture has been reached. Season with salt to taste.

10. Serve the chicken with the mayonnaise and roasted lemons.

Find more chicken recipes here

Photographs: Jan Ras
Production: Abigail Donnelly
Food Assistant: Leila-Ann Mokotedi