Salt-baked chicken with zucchini, lemon and basil salad

serves
4
Salt-baked chicken with zucchini, lemon and basil salad
"It's hard to go past a roast chook" - Matt Moran.

Ingredients (15)

  • 100g unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tbs store-bought basil pesto
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1.4kg whole chicken
  • 2kg rock salt
  • 1 tbs picked rosemary leaves (we used Woolworths Macro)
  • 6 eggwhites
  • 1/2 preserved lemon, finely chopped
  • Pinch dried chilli flakes
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 zucchini, very thinly sliced (we used a mandoline)
  • 4 yellow squash, very thinly sliced (we used a mandoline)
  • 1/2 bunch basil, leaves picked
  • Baby purple basil leaves (optional), to serve

Don't forget you can add these ingredients to your Woolworths shopping list.

Close

Method

  • 1.
    Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a baking tray and line with baking paper.
  • 2.
    Combine butter, pesto and garlic in a bowl. Loosen skin of chicken by running your fingers underneath skin, carefully pulling it away from flesh. Spread butter mixture under skin of chicken over breasts
  • 3.
    In a bowl, combine rock salt, rosemary and eggwhites to make a slurry. Place one-third salt mixture on prepared tray and top with chicken, breast-side up. Tie legs together with kitchen string and cover chicken with remaining salt mixture, packing all over to seal. Bake for 1 hour, then remove from oven and stand for 20 minutes to rest.
  • 4.
    Meanwhile, to make the salad, combine preserved lemon, chilli, lemon juice, oil and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper in a bowl and whisk until combined. Toss zucchini and squash in the dressing, add basil and transfer to a serving platter.
  • 5.
    Using the back of a knife, break the salt crust, carefully remove chicken and carve into pieces. Scatter salad with purple basil, if using, and serve chicken with salad
Rate now

Reviews

Join the conversation

Latest News

HEasldl