from: Ms Juniper

Chicken

As I defrost my chicken for this evening, I thought you'd want a copy of my roast chicken that my husband has declared a favourite for years. This is a fast, easy chicken recipe that produces a crispy skin.

1. Obtain a chicken.
    - some Asian cooks swear by 'massaging the chicken for tenderness'. I find it a bit time consuming & I've never experienced a difference, but you're free to give it a try.

2. Mix a quantity of filling to taste: The herbs can be fresh or dry depending on availability.
    -onions/shallots,
    -garlic,
    -parsley,
    -tarragon,
    -salt & pepper to taste.

3. Squeeze a lemon into the mixture. If you're ambitious, you can add the lemon zest to the stuffing before squeezing the lemon. I prefer to do it, but its not inedible if you don't.

4. Add a bit of olive oil for 'cling factor'

5. Put lemony herb mixture *under the skin* of the chicken.
   -This is easier & faster to do than you might think: starting from the cavity opening, wiggle fingers between the skin & flesh. You can extend your fingers into the thigh/leg area as well & it can hold a lot of stuffing. Be aggressive & it goes fast.
    -The benefit is that the skin crisps, the flesh stays savoury & moist. The stuffing & chicken cools more quickly than conventional stuffing & you don't have to fish it out of the cavity to refrigerate any leftovers. Remove the lemon immediately to prevent.
    -If you remove the oil from the drippings & thicken the juices, there is a lovely gravy waiting for you.

6. Use the lemon 1/2s to wipe out the bowl.. Put lemon halves into chicken cavity. (You can add a stick of celery, but I find it goes better with an onion-sage combination.)

7. Oil the chicken skin & season to taste. (at this point, I find my hands are oily & herbed already, so I just rub them over the chicken & sprinkle extra seasonings after I wash my hands)

8. Roast to done by weight - a rack is crispier, but you can get away with putting it in a pan & keeping an eye on the moisture levels depending on the diameter of extra pan.

As always, you can add wine to the gravy if desired. Basting always adds a certain something, but isn't required.

I find the chicken makes a nice stock afterwards.