Here’s another fast holiday dinner to get your kitchen warmed-up & ready to celebrate! Roasting this chicken is as easy as 1: 2: 3. Stuff the bird with lemon & thyme, roast with quince, & serve in stunning simplicity. Easy never tasted so good!
Ingredients
1 small chicken or game hen
1 bunch thyme
2 lemons, cut into quarters
olive oil, for brushing
segments from about 2 poached quince (see our recipe how-to)Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400°F (or 375°F, convection)
Remove any innards that may be inside the chicken, rinse and pat dry.
Place the chicken on your work surface, legs facing up, with the cavity open to you. Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the flesh of the bird. Place a couple of thyme sprigs on each side. Fill the cavity with the rest of the thyme. Squeeze the lemons on the outside and inside of the bird, placing a few inside the cavity and others scattered around your baking dish. Season liberally with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil.
Pop into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove the baking tray from the oven, add the poached quince slices, and move things around a bit (coating the lemon and quince in the bird juices, giving them the chance to brown and caramelize). Pop back in the oven and bake until the bird is cooked through, and things are looking delightfully browned and crispy.
Allow the bird to rest a few moments before serving. We like to pair it with saffron couscous and a bright herb salad.
2 comments
What wine would you pair with the chicken?
Hi Doug! This is one of those dishes that you could serve with either. If you go for a red, choose something easy and not too complex, like a Pinot Noir or a light Sangiovese. I’d prefer white with the sweet astringent tones of the quince. In this case, a Viognier or a dry resiling would be awesome. What were you thinking? Cheers! Monika