Brine the Chicken overnight in the refrigerator and then stand on the bench for at least 1 hour. Dry thoroughly inside and out.

To make the stuffing. Remove the crusts from the bread. Toast the bread slices and crust till just browning. Cut into small cubes and place in a bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, very finely chopped onion and chopped apple. Generously add the spices. Rub in the butter. Add some stock till mixture is moist.

Preheat the oven and the glass roasting pan with 2 Tbs of butter and 1/4 cup goose fat (or oil) to 230°

Fill the chicken with stuffing loosely and seal the rear end by stitching skin together with a toothpick. Cut a knick in the skin just above the thigh joint. Run your fingers under the skin and over the breasts and stuff with slabs of salted butter. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Rub the skin generously with lemon juice and season heavily with salt and pepper

Place the chicken in the roasting pan and add the remaining lemon juice to the oil. Be careful as it will sizzles and spatter a bit.

Place in a hot oven on the  middle rack. After 15 minutes remove the pan and turn the oven down to 180°  Baste the chicken with pan juices and return to the oven after 2 minutes and cook, basting every 20 minutes. Total cooking time will be 1 hour and then 8 minutes extra for the legs and thighs.

Remove the chicken from the pan to a cutting board. Remove the thigh and leg in one piece (both) and return to the roasting pan skin side up. Baste and return to the oven for 8 minutes. Let the chicken and then the thighs stand covered for 30 minutes before serving.

Collect the pan juices and drain of excess fat. Make into your favourite gravy.
1 x 1.35kg free range Chicken

100g Salted Butter
1/4 cup Goose Fat (or peanut oil)
1/4 Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper

Stuffing
3 Slices bread
1/2 cup bread crumbs stuffing mix
1/2 an onion chopped
1/2 an Apple chopped
15g Butter
25g parmesan cheese
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbs Dried herbs and spices
Extra thymme,
Salt and Pepper
Stock

Brine is 4L water, 1/2 cup rock salt, 1/2 cup olive oil, and your mix of spices such as thyme, clove powder, allspice, pepper. Whatever. Boil 1L of the water with salt and oil then add spices and 3L of water, cool to tepid. Add the chicken and refrigerate overnight.
Plenty of places roast a great chicken. The very best I've ever had is Habib's Charcoal chicken in Bankstown. For those that think far too much garlic is barely enough. Every time I am in Sydney I detour here for Lunch. Woolworths and many other places also do great chicken. But a quality bird done right is better.

I always have a problem overcooking the breast and undercooking the thighs. So, my idea is to cook the chicken till the breast is perfect and then cut the thighs and legs off and cook these further. Then cut all the chicken into pieces, deboning the thighs and serve in a bowl. I prefer to serve with Milanese Rice and Creamed Spinach instead of the usual roast veges. Not traditional but a very effective and modern roast chicken. 

I used lemon on the skin and apple in the stuffing as these flavours compliment Milanese rice as a side. With traditional roast veges rub with oil and butter and season with thyme and use more onion instead of apple in the stuffing. Goose fat is the premium fat to roast with but is expensive or hard to get. Peanut oil is good.
image of roast chicken

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