Nice 'n Spicy Roast Chicken with Lemon and Thyme

Moist and Delicious

I have never made a whole roast chicken in my life but I dared to challenge myself and cook this beauty.  With a little help from Levi Roots I made a succulent moist roasted chicken which delivered on flavour.  Some techniques I was a little unsure of, but I really urge people to try something they have never done before.  The leap really paid off.

This recipe was taken from 'Levi Root's Reggae Reggae Cookbook', (Collins, 2008)

Ingredients:

1 onion, 1.3kg/3lbs whole chicken, 1 lemon, 6 fresh thyme sprigs, 1tbsp chicken seasoning, 2 tsp all- purpose seasoning, ground black pepper, 2tbsp oilive oil, 4tbsp Reggae Reggae Sauce

Method:

1. Wash and prepare the chicken.
2. Push the onion into the cavity of the chicken.
3. Cut the lemon into 4 wedges and puch right inside with 4 thyme sprigs.
4. Put the chicken in a large roasting tin.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/ 400 degrees F/ Gas Mark 6.
6. Throw other 2 sprigs of thyme, then sprinkle the chicken seasoning, all-purpose seasoning and black pepper evenly over the top and drizzle with oil.
7. Roast the chicken for an hour.
8. Spread the reggae reggae sauce and cook for 20 more minutes.

Saffy's Tips

1. I did not have a heating rack to raise the chicken so it wouldn't cook in the juices below.  I therefore found a technique on youtube which involves rolling foil in a rope and placing around the outline of the base of the chicken to raise it up.

2. If you want to save a few calories and therefore don't want to eat the skin of the chicken then, rub some of the sauce withing the top skin of the chicken so you don't miss out on the tasty reggae sauce flavour.

3. You know the chicken is cooked when ... A) If you wiggle the leg it should move easy and feel loose. B) When pricked with a sharp knife between chicken breast and the thigh the juice should be clear not pink or red!