Recipe

BUTTERFLY CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND ROSEMARY

INGREDIENTS:

1 Free Range Chicken (1.2-1.5kg)
Sea salt
Black pepper
Organic large lemon
Fresh Rosemary
Olive oil


METHOD:

Joint chicken to open up like a butterfly.  This helps it cook evenly and faster.  To do this use a heavy and sharp chopping knife.  Cut along both sides of the back bone to remove it.  Push either thigh of the chicken away from each other and find the leg bones then follow on one side of  each thigh bone and then around the knuckle and through the leg bone and cut the meat away.  try and not cut throught the skin.  Then trace the bone back up the other side of the bone and remove the bone. Do the same ont he other leg.  Now trace the tip of the knife(you may wish to use a sharp but flexible knife for this stage) along the little rib bones and remove then around the breast cartilagge and bone.  Try and keep the skin intact.  For the wings either trim off the wing tip and remove the flesh off the large wing bone or just keep them as they are.  Make sure you have remove the bone that runs along the chest bone and wings.

Now you have a open piece of chicken flesh flat on the chopping board.  Transfer to the grill tray season with salt and pepper to you likeing and chop generous amounts of rosemary and rub into the bird.  Then grate the washed lemon skin and rub in. 

Put chicken skin side up under a pre-heated grill and turn over once starting to colour.   Once the other side is white pour over the juice of the lemon and cook alittle more.  Keep turning the chicken over while cooking.  You may also want to baste teh chicken between turning to keep it moist and get more flavour into it.

The butterfly chicken should be ready in about 20-25 minutes when the skin is golden brown and sightly caramelised.  Transfer to a serving dish pour over the rest of the cooking juices and some extra virgin olive oil. Serve with aditional lemon wedges.

This is nice to serve with some oven roast new potatoes and braised puple sprouting brocoli.