Andalucia Life Recipe - Chicken and Herbs

Chicken in Spain is cheap and tasty. The best and most expensive are the corn fed chickens, easily spotted since they are a buttery yellow colour. Baby chickens or picanton, can also be corn fed. I find Spanish chicken has less water than UK chicken and definitely more flavour. Fresh chickens come whole.

The recipe given is the upmarket version, one picanton per person. If you prefer, use the same quantities with one chicken. The cooking times are different so be careful at the end of the recipe. This dish is great with the Greek Salad, a bottle of cold white rioja and a baguette. It can all be prepared in advance and taken to the beach.

Ingredients - Serves 2

2 picanton (they will weigh about 300 gms each) or one chicken 1.1 - 1.4 kgs (cleaned)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 handfulls of mixed chopped herbs (any of these - basil, parsley, thyme, marjoram)
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 lemon, halved
4 bay leaves torn up
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Method

Preheat the oven and a roasting tray to 225C (Gas 7).

Sprinkle a little salt into the cavities of the bird(s).

Carefully take hold of the skin at the neck end and lift up until you can insert a fork handle. Try not to rip the skin. Work the handle under the skin so that it comes away from the breast meat. There will be a fairly tough bit down the breast bone. Leave this so that you have two cavities on each bird.

Sprinkle some salt into the cavities. Divide two handfuls of the herbs between the cavities. Drizzle in most of the olive oil.

Put one half of each lemon, half the bay and one sprig of rosemary into each body cavity. (Or bung the whole lot in the chicken).

Rub the outer skin(s) all over with the remaining oil and sprinkle with some more salt and pepper and the remaining chopped herbs.

Take the tray from the oven and put a dribble of oil into the tray. Put the bird(s) breast side down on the tray and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and put them on the other breast. Cook for five minutes. Remove, put them right way up and cook for a further 25 minutes. The whole chicken will take longer, allow at least an hour. To check they are cooked, pierce a thigh with a skewer, any juice should be clear.

The skin should be really crispy and the meat will be infused with the herby flavours.