Thyme roasted chicken with preserved lemon

Serves: 0
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 2 hrs 20 mins
Ingredients
  • 1 free range whole chicken (about 1.5kg)
  • 75ml rapeseed or olive oil 
  • 2 preserved lemons 
  • 1 packet fresh thyme 
  • 30g sumac or za’atar 
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat an oven to 200 Celsius.

Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature. Stuff with the preserved lemons and thyme stalks, saving the leaves for the outside of the bird.

Mix the oil with the thyme leaves and sumac and rub all over the skin of the chicken and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the bird onto a rack in a suitably sized roasting tray. Lower the oven temperature to 170 Celsius and pop the bird inside.

Cook for 120 minutes, or until the juices run clear.

Cover with foil and rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Jess Murphy

Jess Murphy

Jess Murphy, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a Kiwi chef living on the west coast of Ireland