Garlic Roast Chicken

I always used to shove my aromatics into the chicken’s cavity, but I’ve decided over the years that although it makes the chicken smell amazing during roasting, it doesn’t do much for the flavour. If you want to add flavour to a chicken, you’ve really got to get under its skin. I apololgise for putting garlic, rosemary and chilli/smoked paprika in everything I ever cook but I just can’t live without them. And the smokey-garlicky oil you get from this makes the best ever roast potatoes.

1 garlic bulb, separated into cloves and peeled
leaves from 2 rosemary stalks
1 lemon
½ tsp Maldon salt
good knob of butter
1 tsp smoked paprika

Place the garlic and rosemary in a mini food processor. Pare off the lemon zest and add along with the salt. Whiz until it forms a paste. Add the butter and paprika and a good grinding of black pepper and whizz again until well blended.

Loosen the skin with your fingers then with your hands, spread the garlic paste between the flesh and the skin – smooth it down and round the bird as far as you can but make sure you get plenty on the breast which is the driest part.



If you have no other use for the pared lemon, quarter it and tuck it into the cavity it’ll smell lovely and make the juices for the gravy taste good. If you want to, pin any torn bits of chicken skin in place with a cocktail stick to stop it shrinking back and then tie the legs together with a bit of string. Roast as usual.