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OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN

2 hours cooking time

15 min preparation time

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 whole chicken of ± 3 kg
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 onions, peeled and thickly sliced
1 lemon

3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and slightly bruised
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
45 ml (3 tbsp) Clover Springbok Unsalted Butter
250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C.
  2. Clean the chicken well and trim off the excess fat. Rinse the chicken inside and out under running water and dry with paper towels.
  3. Season the inside and outside of the chicken with salt and pepper.
  4. Arrange the onion slices on the bottom of an oven-proof dish.
  5. Roll the lemon on the work surface with your hand so that the juice will flow out more easily. Prick the lemon rind with a fork.
  6. Place the lemon, cloves of garlic, and thyme inside the chicken. Cross the chicken’s legs and secure with a piece of string. Tuck the wings under the chicken.
  7. Butter the chicken all over on the outside and sprinkle some salt and pepper over it again. Place the chicken on the onions in the dish.
  8. Bake the chicken for approximately 90 minutes until golden brown, crispy and cooked. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
  9. Meanwhile, pour the pan juices into a small saucepan and skim most of the fat off the surface. Slowly bring the pan juices to the boil, then stir in the chicken stock. Bring to the boil again and reduce the sauce by half.
  10. Cut the string around the chicken’s legs and remove the lemon, garlic and thyme.
  11. Serve the chicken with the sauce.