Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go
- 1 beautiful chicken (2kg/4.5 lbs)
- olive oil
- 2 red onions, halved lengthwise
- 1 head of garlic
- A generous handful of mixed fresh herbs (tarragon, parsley, marjoram…)
- Salt, pepper
- 1 lemon (optional)
- 1 tablespoon flour or starch (cornstarch or potato starch)
On a cutting board, finely chop the herbs with a knife. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil. Slip the herbs under the chicken skin and massage the chicken with olive oil (use your hands with gloves). Insert the warm lemon (if using), then truss and place in a baking dish with the quartered onions and garlic head.
Bake for 1 hour at 220°C (425°F) (no preheating - putting the chicken in a cold oven prevents it from drying out). Remove the chicken from the oven. For the sauce, you have two options: serve it as is, or heat it in a saucepan with the cornstarch until it thickens.
Carve the chicken, arrange on a serving platter, pour the sauce over it or serve in a gravy boat alongside.
Tips and Variations
- This chicken is also excellent served cold the next day - the juices will have transformed into a delicious roast chicken jelly.