Author Notes
I'm a dreamer.....*sigh*...and that's not at all a foolish decision. See.....my new year's resolutions are off to a great start - make large portions of dishes which can be reinvented throughout the week. So, I've made 'Merrill's' meatloaf twice. Its lasted us 3 dinners: slices of meatloaf with tatties, second time in tomato sauce, with pasta and third, sprinkled on some carrot and lentil soup. I had dreams for this chicken too. We would have some for Sunday dinner. Salads and Sarnies would follow...and who knows what else. *Hmmmm*. Pipe dreams they were. All I ended up with was a platter full of bones (yes, perfect.....perfect for making stock) - the flesh demolished by loving mouths: any cook's delight to be honest. And if you're still seeking the verdict: Crisp skin, tasty, well seasoned (in such a short time) moist, succulent....I could go on but my husband has run out of words...and ALL without a marinade! I learnt from a food blogger (The Little Teochew)....that cooking the chicken at high heat crisps the skin yet keeps the flesh surprisingly juicy and super tasty ! The citrus flavours of the lemon thyme, combined with the sweet smokiness of the chicken makes this a tasty offering....on any day of the week! —Kitchen Butterfly
Ingredients
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1
whole, organic chicken (mine weighed 1.25 kg), rinsed inside and out
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1 large bunch
bunch of fresh lemon thyme
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1-2 tablespoons
Seasalt
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1 tablespoon
Butter
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1-2
bulbs of garlic
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Cedar plank, prepared according to manufacture's instructions or soak in water for 20 minutes prior to use
Directions
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Preheat your oven to 240 degrees centigrade. Set an oven rack in the middle. Place your cedar plank in an oven tray/brownie tin, place that on the rack and let heat up till it starts to crackle
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In the meantime, make a fragrant salt by pounding a large handful of lemon thyme with 1 - 2 tablespoons of sea salt, till a rough paste is formed
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Mix half of this paste with 1 tablespoon of butter and reserve the other half.
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Gently separate the skin above the breast from the flesh, so it doesn't tear and rub some lemon thyme butter underneath.
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Rub the remainder of the lemon thyme butter inside the cavity of the chicken, then stuff it with some stalks of lemon thyme and garlic cloves. Secure the opening with a toothpick or truss it up.
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Rub the reserved lemon thyme paste on the outside of the chicken, ensuring all bits are well rubbed.
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By this time, the cedar plank should be crackling. Bring it out of the oven and using a tea towel soaked in olive oil, rub it all over.
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Place the chicken on top of the plank, breast side up and pop in the oven. {Note you will need an hour per kg of chicken. Mine was ready in 1 hour 15 minutes.} If at anytime, you're worried the plank is getting too dry, put some water in the tray.
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About 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, flip the bird over so the underside crisps up
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Once ready, bring out of the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
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Serve and carve the chicken...from the plank and serve with roasted garlic...on the side and potatoes!
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