Moroccan · Main course
Preserved Lemon Roast Chicken
A whole roast chicken taken to Morocco: rubbed under the skin with a paste of preserved lemon, garlic, ginger and saffron butter, then roasted until golden with olives and onions in the pan. It's a Sunday roast with the deep, tangy flavours of a chicken tagine and the crisp skin of the oven.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 80 min
- Total
- 100 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Medium
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (about 1.6 kg)
- 1 preserved lemon (rind chopped, plus 1 quartered for the cavity)
- 50 g soft butter
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- Pinch of saffron, steeped
- 2 onions, sliced
- 1 handful green olives
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Method
- 1
Make the butter
Mash the soft butter with the chopped preserved lemon, garlic, ginger, saffron, salt and pepper.
- 2
Season the bird
Loosen the breast skin and push most of the butter underneath, rubbing the rest over the outside.
- 3
Stuff
Put the quartered preserved lemon in the cavity.
- 4
Bed
Scatter the onions and olives in a roasting tin with the olive oil and sit the chicken on top.
- 5
Roast
Roast at 200°C for about 80 minutes, basting, until golden and the juices run clear.
- 6
Rest and serve
Rest 10 minutes, then carve and serve with the oniony, lemony pan juices.
Chef's tips
- Getting the butter under the skin flavours the meat and keeps it juicy.
- Baste a couple of times for the crispest, most golden skin.
- Let it rest before carving so the juices settle.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know it's cooked?
The juices at the thigh should run clear and a thermometer should read 74°C at the thickest part. Rest it before carving.
Can I roast vegetables underneath?
Yes — add potatoes or carrots to the tin so they roast in the flavoured juices for a complete one-pan meal.