If you are using a conventional oven, don’t worry, it’s easy. You simply cut it into quarters using either a sharp cook’s knife or kitchen shears. Start at the tail end with the chicken on its back and cut down through the parson’s nose. Now stand the chook on its neck with the backbone towards you and cut straight down, using the notch in the parson’s nose as your starting point.
Flatten out the bird, skin-side down, and cut from neck to tail, through the center of the gelatinous membrane that forms the breast-bone. Finally, cut across the halves between the thigh and breast to make your quarters. You will easily see where to do this. It’s a natural cutting point. Place the pieces skin-side up in a roasting tin large enough to hold them without overlapping, brush them with the mixture given above, and bake for 30 minutes, basting once.
For the last five minutes turn the oven heat to full, which will help to give a crisper finish. You can miss out this step if you intend to discard the skin. As always with roasted meat, once the cooking time is over keep the chicken warm but let it stand for five minutes before carving. This lets it relax and allows the juices to spread evenly throughout the joint.
When you carve the breast, instead of slicing it lengthways as you normally would, remove it from the bone in one piece and then slice it at a slight angle, starting at the neck end and working back. You can join the legs in the usual way.
Related posts:
