Roast chicken with preserved lemon and butter

This roast chicken with preserved lemon and butter is a simple yet flavour-packed dish perfect for family dinners. The lemony butter keeps the meat juicy and adds a delicious tang that elevates every bite.

For the last as many years as I can remember, I have spent my Birthday dinner out with family at a restaurant of my choosing.

This year, as my Birthday conveniently fell on a Saturday I thought we'd take the opportunity to head off for our first trip to Sunshine Beach with Mr Ollie.

Mum asked me what I'd like to do to celebrate and after much thought I settled on a lunch date with my lovely husband and a home-cooked meal for dinner.

I couldn't resist when mum offered to cook whatever I wanted.

I thought long and hard - you don't want to just blurt out the first thing you think of, what if you change your mind?

After much deliberation I settled on roast chicken with potato bake, which you may recall, is the same meal I requested for dinner the night before our wedding.

We used to buy these amazingly tasty marinated whole chickens from Aldi but they've since changed the recipe so this one was a from-scratch and apparently mum's first (although I find that hard to believe).

The recipe for roast chicken with preserved lemon and butter came from mum's friend who got it from Maggie Beer.

The photo above is the butter that was stuffed under the skin. I was practically drooling seeing mum mix it up. Calories don't count on your Birthday remember.

By this stage I was already salivating.

They looked so plump and luscious, dinner time could not come soon enough.

As they roasted away, we had some nibbles and played board games while a little part of me was always inhaling the amazing aroma wafting from the kitchen.

Unfortunately, I was a little distracted and didn't make it in time to catch a shot of these ladies straight from the oven but even chopped up they look pretty good don't you think?

The meat was meltingly-tender and so flavoursome.

We served it with potato bake and steamed vege.

Even the cold leftovers the next day were not a bit dry - perfect for sandwiches for our car ride home. Good job mum!

What about you? What's your special meal request if someone offers to cook for you?

Recipe

Roast chicken with preserved lemon and butter

Juicy roast chicken with preserved lemon and butter—an easy, flavourful recipe perfect for Sunday lunch or weeknight dinners.

Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: chicken

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 760kcal

Author: Maggie Beer

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoon tarragon
• 2 quarters Preserved Lemons flesh removed washed and finely chopped
• 2.0 kg free-range chicken
• Sea salt flakes and pepper
• 2 tbspn Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ½ cup Verjuice

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200C (400F) fan-forced and prepare a roasting tray.
• Soften the butter, then in a small bowl, smooth it together with the tarragon and preserved lemon.
• Place the chicken on the prepared pan and carefully separate the skin from the flesh around the legs and breasts then stuff underneath with the butter mixture.
• Tuck the wings under the chicken then season with salt and pepper and rub it into the skin with the oil.
• Cook for 1 hour.
• Open the oven and pour the verjuice over the chicken then cook for another 10 minutes.
• Take the chicken out of the oven and let it rest in a warm place for 20 minutes before carving.
• NOTE: To see if the chicken is cooked - poke a skewer through the thickest part of the thigh. If the juices are clear then it's cooked, pink and it needs longer. If you have a thermometer then it should read 68 degrees if you stick it in the same place.

Nutrition

Calories: 760kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 61g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 241mg | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 672mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1339IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 4mg

Have you made this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think. Tag me on Instagram @clairekcreations