Roasted chicken is in many ways the ultimate comfort food and can be seasoned and enhanced in so many delicious ways. This simple lemon and sea salt roast chicken is delicious served with steamed asparagus tips and potatoes roasted in the juices of the chicken. It can alternatively be allowed to cool and be served with salad.

Lemon and Sea Salt Roasted Chicken

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 40 minutes plus half an hour for resting

Serves four

Ingredients

1 4-pound chicken
1 whole lemon
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
Sea Salt
White pepper

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375F. Boil a pot of water, then place the lemon in a small separate pot, and pour in enough boiling water to make the lemon float. Put the pot on a medium heat and simmer the lemon for ten minutes.

While the oven is heating and the lemon is simmering, wash the chicken under running cold water and pat carefully and thoroughly dry with paper towels. Sit it breast up on a large roasting tray. Take ½ teaspoon of sea salt and ½ teaspoon of white pepper in turn, and use the teaspoon to carefully shake salt and pepper inside the cavity of the chicken. The thyme is optional but does give an extra special flavor to the cooked chicken. Break each sprig in to three pieces and add to the chicken cavity.

Turn the heat off under the pot with the lemon and use a fork to lift the lemon to a chopping board. Holding it steady with the fork, quarter the lemon lengthwise with a sharp knife. Push the lemon quarters one by one in to the chicken cavity with the fork. Heating the lemon beforehand in this fashion means that the beautiful, flavorful juices will be steaming and infusing the chicken from the very beginning of the cooking period.

Season the breast and upper thighs of the chicken with more sea salt. Rub it over and in to the skin with your hands. This will help the skin to crisp up and turn golden as the chicken cooks.

Place the chicken in to the oven for 1 hour and 40 minutes, which amounts to 25 minutes per pound. There is no requirement to baste the chicken as it cooks, or open the oven at any time.

When the cooking time has elapsed, use oven mitts to remove the tray from the oven and sit it on a stable, heat-resistant surface. Pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer and ensure the juices are running clear. If any trace of pink remains, put the chicken back in to the oven for an extra 15 minutes and then repeat this test.

The chicken can either be rested in the roasting tray or, if the juices in the tray are to be used to roast potatoes, it can be transferred to a large, heated plate, using a carving fork and spatula. In either instance, cover the tray or plate with aluminum foil and rest the chicken for around thirty minutes, before carving and serving.