Name: Lemon thyme roast chicken with citrus fennel stuffing
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 125 min
Total time: 145 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 garlic bulb, separated into cloves; 100 gram butter, at room temperature; 1/4 cup lemon thyme; 2 kilogram whole chicken; 2 tablespoon olive oil; 2 carrots, coarsely chopped; 4 celery stalks, coarsely chopped; 1 brown onion, coarsely chopped; 1 fennel bulb, coarsely chopped; 2 tablespoon plain flour; 1 cup (250 millilitres) chicken stock; 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; Citrus fennel stuffing; 1 teaspoon olive oil; 1 brown onion, finely chopped; 1 fennel bulb, finely chopped, plus 2 tbsp fennel fronds, finely chopped; 1/2 cup (35 grams) fresh sourdough breadcrumbs; 1 lemon, zested; juice of 1/2 lemon; 2 tablespoon lemon thyme leaves, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon fennel seeds

Ingredients

1 garlic bulb, separated into cloves

100 gram butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup lemon thyme

2 kilogram whole chicken

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 carrots, coarsely chopped

4 celery stalks, coarsely chopped

1 brown onion, coarsely chopped

1 fennel bulb, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoon plain flour

1 cup (250 millilitres) chicken stock

2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Citrus fennel stuffing

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, finely chopped, plus 2 tbsp fennel fronds, finely chopped

1/2 cup (35 grams) fresh sourdough breadcrumbs

1 lemon, zested

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoon lemon thyme leaves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

Method

1.Preheat oven to 240°C or 220°C fan-forced.

2.Peel 1 garlic clove. Place in a food processor with butter and thyme. Process until combined.

3.Pat chicken with paper towel, inside and out. Starting at neck, gently loosen skin of chicken with your fingers. Smear most of lemon thyme butter over breast flesh under skin. Massage remaining butter all over chicken.

4.To make stuffing, heat oil in a saucepan. Cook onion and chopped fennel 5 minutes, until tender. Transfer to a bowl. Add breadcrumbs, lemon zest and juice, lemon thyme, fennel fronds and fennel seeds. Stir to combine. Spoon stuffing into chicken cavity. Using kitchen string, tie legs together.

5.In a roasting pan, toss oil, carrot, celery, onion, fennel and remaining garlic. Place chicken on vegetables in pan. Season. Reduce oven to 200°C or 180°C fan-forced. Roast, basting with pan juices, 1 hr 45 minutes, until juices run clear when thigh is pierced with a skewer. (If chicken is browning too quickly, cover with foil.) Cover with foil when cooked. Rest 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

6.To make gravy, place pan with vegetables on high heat. Add flour and cook for 1 min, stirring and scraping any residue off base of pan. Remove from heat. Using a masher, roughly mash vegetables. Return to heat. Acid stock and 1 cup water, stirring until smooth. Add vinegar and boil 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until thickened. Strain. Season.

7.Remove stuffing from chicken and transfer to a serving plate. Carve chicken and serve with gravy.

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