Joan Campbell & Sue Fairlie-Cuninghame

Corn-fed chicken with lemon and onions

serves 4

Ingredients

1 corn-fed chicken, about 1 1/2kg
100g butter
1 small lemon, thinly sliced and seeded
2 large sweet salad onions, chopped roughly
salt and pepper
olive oil

Method

To prepare the chicken

Clean, remove excess fat and dry with paper towel.

With your fingers, working from the rear end of the bird, carefully separate the skin from all the breast flesh and the tops of the legs, leaving the skin intact.

Melt half the butter and saute the lemon slices until the skin begins to caramelise a little.

Remove the lemon slices from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.

Push the lemon slices in a single layer into the cavity between the chicken flesh and the skin.

Add the remaining butter to the pan and saute the onions until softened.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stuff the body cavity of the chicken with the onions.

Tie the legs of the bird with string and, using poultry pins, secure the neck skin at the breast.

Brush the chicken with oil, season with salt and pepper and place in a preheated 190deg C. oven

Roast for about 1 to 1 1/4 hours, basting occasionally. (The breast may need covering with foil to prevent it from burning.)

When cooked, remove from the oven and rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

To serve

This chicken is delicous served with braised radicchio and creamy green garlic potatoes.

It is also excellent served cold with a mixed green salad.

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