Simple, succulent and something else starting with S
This is an absolute delight of a roast chicken. No need to cover it - it won't dry out, but the skin will be crispy to the bounds of joy. The stuffing is simple to make, and with the excess you can make rustic and basic arancini; without the breadcrumb coating, but crispy nonetheless.
INGREDIENTS
a chicken - NO! Yes - really!
garlic
a lemon - I'm using preserved lemons, but really either is fine
butter
olive oil (or any oil you fancy)
onion
rice - I'm using jasmine
pine nuts
basil
pepper
salt
wasabi paste
Watch the video
METHOD
STUFFING
Rinse the rice and cover it in cold water at a ratio of 2:1 - If you're using brown or wild rice, adjust to the instructions with your rice
Bring to the boil, then turn down to a low simmer, cover and leave for about 15 minutes. Basically you want to cook this for around 5 minutes less than you would normally; it'll cook the rest of the way in the oven
Let it cool down
Roughly chop up the basil
Mix it through the rice
Add salt, oil, pepper and pine nuts s to the mix
Stir that through
Add either lemon juice, or juice from the jar of preserved lemons
Add a good dod of wasabi paste
CHICKEN
Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC
Thinly slice the garlic
Peel the lemon and thinly slice the rind - if using preserved lemons, slice the whole lemon thinly
Peel and roughly chop the onion - big chunks
Pop the chunks in a roasting tray and set the chicken on top
Stuff the cavity with the rice mix - really stuff it in
Any rice left over can be patted and rolled into balls and set on the tray to cook alongside the chicken
Stab small slits into the chicken - all over
Stuff each slit with a slice of garlic, or lemon - or both
Sprinkle the skin with some salt, then some oil, then plop knobs of butter onto it
Into the oven it goes: about 45 minutes per kilo plus 20 minutes