Recipe: Roasted chicken with lemongrass butter
A hassle-free route to tasty roasted chicken.

Ingredients

50 g butter, softened
1 tbsp pureed lemongrass
15 g thyme, leaves only
1 x 1.5kg whole chicken
1 bulbs garlic, cut in half
1 tbsp olive oil

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/160C.

Mix the butter in a small bowl with the lemongrass paste and half the thyme. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Ease your hand under the skin of the chicken at the neck opening and smear the herb butter under the skin. Place the garlic inside the cavity. Rub all over with the oil, season and place in a roasting tray.

Roast the chicken in the centre of the oven for 1½ - 1¾ hours. To check that it is cooked, pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a fine skewer. If the juices are pink or show traces of blood, cook the chicken for a further 10-15 minutes, then check again. If the juices are pale golden, the chicken is cooked.

Remove from the oven, baste and scatter with the remaining thyme leaves. Cover tightly with foil and rest for 10 minutes.

Carve and serve with a selection of baby vegetables.