Lemon and rosemary chicken

Greek dish

Ingredients for 4 people
1 oven-ready chicken, giblets removed (approx. 1.7 kg)
3 lemons (unwaxed)
Rosemary
Olive oil
Salt, pepper

Preparation
Grate the peel of an unwaxed lemon (only the yellow part). Chop the rosemary finely. Mix both into some good olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Starting from the back, detach the skin of the chicken over the breasts, taking care not to tear it. The easiest way to do this is to carefully insert one or two fingers between the skin and the meat, detaching the skin by moving the fingers to the right and left. In order to detach the skin over the legs, you will need to make a cut through the skin over the joint; from this point you can loosen the skin on the thighs and the drumsticks.

Now fill about half the seasoning mix into these pockets of skin and spread it between the skin and meat of the chicken. Rub the rest of the paste onto the outside of the chicken, applying it to all parts. Cut a lemon into quarters and place them inside the chicken. Squeeze the juice of the third lemon over the chicken and season again with salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken at 200°C for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 150°C and roast for a further 60 minutes.

Take the chicken out of the oven, leave it to stand for a few minutes (covered), then cut it into portions and serve. The juice in the roasting pan can be served as a sauce.

Polenta goes well with this dish.

Enjoy your meal.