Olive oil roasted chicken

Upgrade your roast chook with this special recipe from Daen Lia for olive oil roasted chicken, which employs a technique to dry-brine your chook for extra-juicy results. Roast the chicken with herbs and butter on top of leeks, then serve with a freshly made herb and anchovy sauce, and sliced sourdough to mop up all the juices.

Olive oil roasted chicken Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  1:20 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

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Olive Oil

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Ingredients

• 1.5 kg whole chicken
• sea salt flakes and black pepper
• 50 g butter, divided
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic bulb
• ½ lemon
• ½ cup mixed herbs (parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary)
• 1 leek, quartered
• sourdough, to serve

Salsa verde

• 1 garlic clove
• sea salt flakes
• 2 anchovy fillets
• 1 tbsp capers
• 40 g finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ cup olive oil

Resting time: 10 minutes

Brining time: 2 hours

Instructions

1. Pat the chicken skin dry with paper towel and generously season with sea salt flakes and pepper all over, not forgetting the cavity. If time allows, allow the chicken to come to room temperature for 2 hours. This step acts like a dry brine for juicy chicken results.
2. Preheat the oven to 170°C conventional (150°C fan-forced). Using your fingers, carefully separate the skin from the chicken breast and evenly stuff with 30 g of the butter. Season the chicken with the oregano and fennel seeds and extra salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil all over and massage well into the chicken with your hands.
3. Using a sharp knife, slice the top off the garlic bulb, about 2–3 cm down from the top, to expose the cloves, then place in the cavity of the chicken with the lemon and fresh herbs. Tie the legs of the chicken together with kitchen string as this will help the chicken cook evenly.
4. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish with the leek. Season the leek with salt, pepper and then the remaining 20 g butter. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the herb sauce by placing the garlic and a big pinch of sea salt to a mortar and pestle. Grind until a paste-like texture forms. Add the anchovies and grind them into the garlic paste. Add the capers and pound until they are slightly broken down. Add the parsley and mix them through.
6. Pour the olive oil and lemon juice into the mortar and pestle and gently mix through until all the ingredients are well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
7. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with salsa verde and sourdough.

 

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Olive Oil

Watch the full episode here

G

Watch the full episode here

G