By Zoe Bingley-Pullin for Lorna Jane
Don’t know what to cook on Christmas Day? This roast chicken recipe is going to save you.
This Lemon Thyme Chicken with Desert Lime Stuffing is amazeballs, the whole family will LOVE it. And you can make it ahead of time [to make things easier on Christmas Day] and serve it sliced and cold with a delish salad.
Serves: 4 to 6
Prep: 10 to 15 minutes
Cooking: 60 to 90 minutes
// Ingredients
1 size 16 organic chicken, trimmed
Rub
2 tablespoons lemon thyme, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried or fresh marjoram, finely chopped
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Stuffing
3 slices multigrain bread, lightly toasted
1 small Spanish onion
1 egg
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon seeded mustard
2 teaspoons sea salt
1⁄2 bunch flat leaf parsley, washed
4 limes, cut in half
// METHOD
- Preheat oven to180°C.
- In a small bowl mix together all of the rub ingredients, rub evenly over chicken.
- In a food processor add stuffing ingredients, except the limes and blend to a rough consistency. Add more bread if too wet. Using latex gloves stuff the chicken (optional).
- Place the chicken on a wire rack in the baking tray and pour 1⁄2 -1 cup water, this will increase the juiciness of the chicken. Then put the limes in the roasting pan with the chicken.
- Place the chicken in the oven for about 60 minutes.
- To test if it is cooked, stick a skewer into the chicken and the juice should run clear.
- When the chicken is tender and juice runs clear (after around 60-90 minutes), you can remove from oven and allow to rest briefly before carving.
- Enjoy with roast vegetables, a fresh salad or your favourite sides!
Tip: Australian desert limes are an extremely versatile fruit. They can be used in any recipe in place of normal limes or lemons. Desert limes require no peeling or preparation and they can be frozen for later use. You can use conventional limes if desert limes aren’t available.
