It’s the classic roast chicken but this time with fresh and preserved lemon. Yummy!
Wine Suggestion: We have a bit of a thing for dry Loire Chenin Blanc and were fortunate to visit Jacky Blot from Domaine de la Taille aux Loups earlier this year. Although he passed away not long after our visit, being able to taste the results of his work in a glass really keeps his memory alive. We opened a bottle of his Vin de France “Clos de la Bretonniere” with this dinner and were transported back to the tasting room and the couple of hours we spent with Jacky. A vibrantly dry Vouvray with tension and tautness in abundance and layers of minerally fruit, it paired beautifully with the roast chicken. Salut Jacky!
Roast chicken with preserved lemon – serves 4
- 70g butter, softened
- 3 tbsp thyme leaves
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 small preserved lemon, pips discarded and flesh and skin roughly chopped
- 1 lemon, zest finely grated, plus 1½ tbsp of juice
- 1 whole chicken
Heat the oven to 190C fan.
Put the butter, thyme, garlic, preserved lemon, lemon zest, ¼ tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper in a food proessor and blitz to combine.
Loosen the chicken skin over the breasts (careful not to tear it) and spread most of the butter mixture underneath. Spread the rest over the legs.
Put the chicken into a roasting tin and drizzle with the lemon juice and sprinkle over ½ tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper.
Roast the chicken for 20 minutes per 500g plus an extra 10 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the juices run clear. Baste every 20 minutes as it cooks.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi, Tara Wigley and Esme Howarth, Ebury Press, 2018.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 