Lavender, Lovage and Lime Roast Chicken With Honey

Name: Lavender, Lovage and Lime Roast Chicken With Honey
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 4-6 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 small limes or 1 small lemon, finely chopped, pips removed; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 2 -3 garlic cloves, crushed; 100 g butter, softened; 1 (2 -3 kg) roasting chickens; 4 sprigs lovage or 4 stalks celery & leaves, roughly chopped; 1 tablespoon lavender flowers; 50 ml olive oil; 2 tablespoons lavender honey; salt & freshly ground black pepper; lavender, and lovage sprigs (to garnish)

Submitted by French Tart

"A delectable and elegant way of cooking a whole chicken for a special dinner party or for Sunday lunch! I have also cooked this chicken to take on a picnic - it is wonderful cold, AND in sandwiches or salads. Try to use an organic reared chicken - the flavour is more superior than a poor factory/battery farmed chicken - and, you will be doing your "bit" to stamp out this unnatural way of rearing poultry."

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photo by French Tart

Ready In:: 1hr 50mins
Ingredients:: 11
Serves:: 4-6

ingredients

1 small limes or 1 small lemon, finely chopped, pips removed
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 -3 garlic cloves, crushed
100 g butter, softened
1 (2 -3 kg) roasting chickens
4 sprigs lovage or 4 stalks celery & leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon lavender flowers
50 ml olive oil
2 tablespoons lavender honey
salt & freshly ground black pepper
lavender, and lovage sprigs (to garnish)

directions

Preheat the oven to 190C, 400F, gas mark 5.
Combine the lime(lemon), onion and garlic with the butter. Stuff half of this under the skin of the chicken, working carefully under the skin of the breast. Put the remaining flavoured butter inside the bird, with the chopped lovage (celery stalks/leaves) and the lavender flowers. Secure the skin over the neck with a skewer and put the chicken in a roasting tray.
Combine the olive oil and honey in a pan and heat gently so the honey liquefies. Stir, then pour over the chicken. Season well.
Roast for 45 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes, basting every 20 minutes or so.
If the chicken seems to be browning too quickly, cover it with foil half way through cooking. To test whether the chicken is cooked, pierce it with a skewer in the thickest part. If the juices run clear, it is cooked. Leave to stand, covered with foil, for 20 minutes before carving.
Garnish with lavender and lovage sprigs.
Carve at the table and serve with the pan juices, green beans and apple & potato purée.

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Reviews

Hi French Tart, love it, love it & love it! The chicken turned out beautifully! Had a problem finding the lavender but I did find it. It was a site to behold, how pretty! I had some friends over for an easy Sunday dinner and we outside on the patio near the fountain! It was a special occasion! Served it with green beans, for sure, and I made a potato kugel. Thank you so much for this recipe as it was a wonderful treat, Diane :)

Manami
This is the reason french tart is one of my Go- to chefs on Zaar.. just incredible

GingerlyJ
This was outstanding! I needed a chicken recipe to make with no salt. Since there would be no salt, I knew that herbs were essential to add flavor, and they do! My dd even asked me if I had added salt and I said no! It smelled like heaven baking. After eating it - I realized I never added the garlic. I'm kind of glad I didn't as the flavor of the lavender, lemon juice and onions came through so much better. I didn't have lovage so I used celery leaves as you suggested. Thanks!

Pam-I-Am

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

French Tart

277

The sunflowers in the field behind my house in SW France: <img title=Sunflowers src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/DSCN8221.jpg alt=Sunflowers width=640 height=480 /> I am British (English-Scottish), but I was born in South Africa and have lived all over the world, including Hong Kong, Germany, Cyprus, USA & Singapore. I have also been very fortunate to have travelled extensively over the years.........I still have wanderlust! I used to be an English Literature & Art History teacher & lecturer; before that, I trained and worked as a Graphic Designer for many years. I now live in France with my husband & my daughter who has just started university in September 2006. We also have one very chatty Burmese cat Willow, who allows us to live with her here! (I used to have three cats, I recently lost Monty, a beautiful seal point Siamese and before that, Rama, who was a debonair blue point Siamese cat - I would love to have another Siamese cat or cats in the future!) This is my Burmese Cat, Willow, sunning herself on the log pile in the kitchen garden: <img title=My src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/ABaconButtyandSundryFoodPhotos34.jpg alt=My width=640 height=480 /> Here is my lovely Monty, a seal point Siamese, and Willow, sitting in the kitchen garden last year, and a few months before Monty died; he was 18yrs old: <img title=Monty src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/AbsolutelySinfulStickyToffeePudding.jpg alt=Monty width=640 height=480 />My This is my wonderful old boy, Rama, a blue-point Siamese, who died when he was 20yrs old - excuse the old and much sellotaped photo: <img title=Rama src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/Rama1stOctober2004164.jpg alt=Rama width=517 height=639 /> My favourite pastimes are: reading, writing, painting & drawing, photography, gardening, anything creative, walking, travelling, dining out and of course COOKING! I love all types of cuisine, but especially Traditional British - and NO it is NOT all bad!! I particularly love food associated with the changing seasons plus traditional feasts & festivals, as well as Slow Cooking. I also enjoy French & North African cuisine, come to think of it, there isn't much I don't like! My husband & I run a Chambres D'Hotes, (Bed and Breakfast) called Auberge de la Fontaine here in beautiful South West France; we specialise in Gourmet Food & Wine Breaks, French Antiques & Restoration courses, French Language courses and French Cookery classes. Our home is completely furnished with Antique French furniture that we have rescued & restored ourselves. Our charming village has one of the oldest Churches in the region & it is famous for its connection with the St.Jacques de Compostella Pilgrimage route, as well as being within the Cognac & Bordeaux wine growing area. We have a wonderful garden where we grow ALL of our own herbs and most of our fruit and vegetables. I specialise in rare, unusual and old-fashioned herbs, which I grow in our walled garden. As well as growing herbs, I also grow many different varieties of lavender, old-fashioned shrub roses and heirloom fruit and vegetables. We have lived overseas for many, many years now - but we both still love going home to Northern England, near Scarborough & York, to visit our family & friends. We also love indulging in dining out when we are there, in a wide variety of EXCELLENT Gastro-Pubs that we have in North Yorkshire; and popping in to have a Pint of REAL ENGLISH ALE in our local pub is a always a must!! <a href=http://photobucket.com/images/merci%20beaucoup target=_blank><img src=http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp287/vi-vie15/Merci/hb09izl7.gif border=0 alt=merci /></a> A Message to all who make and review my recipes! I try very hard to reply to EACH and EVERYONE of you who kindly makes, reviews and photographs my recipes! 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