LEMON AND CORIANDER CHICKEN

An Ina Paarman recipe which is so delicious and a real winner.

1 fresh free range chicken

Flavour Rub
• 1 tablespoon chicken spice – I use Ina Paarman
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon Coriander Pesto
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• grated zest of 1 lemon

Chicken
• ½ lemon – use half of the one from which zest was grated
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• chicken spice
• ½ cup Lemon Marinade – I use Ina Paarman
• ¾ cup boiling water
• 25g sachet liquid chicken stock or 1 heaped tablespoon chicken powder
• 5 potatoes peeled
• Seasoning

Butterfly the chicken by cutting along the backbone, bend the rib cage open and flatten the chicken. Carefully loosen the skin over the breast, thighs and drum-sticks.

Mix all the ingredients for the flavour rub together and spread it under the skin of the chicken. Adjust the oven rack to one slot below the middle and preheat oven at 180oC. Slice half the lemon and lay thin slices in a medium/large ovenproof dish. Sprinkle sugar over the lemon. Season the underside of the chicken with chicken spice.

Position the chicken on the lemon slices, skin side up. Season the check with a little more chicken spice. Pour lemon marinade evenly over the chicken.

Dissolve the chicken stock in the boiling water and carefully pour it in on the side of the dish so as not to wash the marinade off the chicken. Season the potatoes and tuck them around the chicken. Place in the oven covered and roast for 1 hour. Remove the cover and roast uncovered for a further 30 minutes or until done. Leave chicken for 10 minutes before carving.

Serve with creamed spinach, honey glazed butternut and a green salad.