Motorway Chicken

What?! Motorway chicken? A chicken that was left stranded on the motorway or the chicken that escaped along the motorway?? Haha, I was seriously thinking along those lines. Then I found out that it is called the motorway chicken only because the chicken is cut into half and made to lie flat so hence, the hilarious name.

Interestingly, I found this recipe on Come Date with Me. It was a British reality show where a single girl and four bachelors go on dates to become the girl's dream date. This recipe was cooked by one of the bachelors in a bid to win the girl's heart so he can be her dream date. Set the show aside, I was really, more intrigued by the name of the dish.

This recipe is from tenplay.

Although the origin of the recipe indicates that it uses a whole chicken cut into half, I decided to make use of what I have in the pantry and freezer. See my modifications in blue.

Ingredients:

whole chicken or 1 packet of 1kg chicken parts
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
sprigs of fresh rosemary (I used ground rosemary)
2 lemons, cut into quarters
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (I used canola oil)

Method:

1. Rinse the chicken clean and pat dry with kitchen paper.
2. Cut chicken in half, cutting down each side of the backbone with a pair of scissors or poultry shears and force it to lie flat (snap the thigh and wing ball and socket joints).
3. Pull off any fat and discard. Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with a little salt, grind on a little black pepper and add a sprig or two of rosemary. Transfer it to an oiled roasting tin turning it skin side up.
4. Rub one of the pieces of lemon over the chicken skin, squeezing on the juice. Sprinkle the chicken skin with rosemary and salt and grind over black pepper, and then drizzle over the oil. Put the pieces of lemon in the dish too.
5. Cook the chicken in an oven preheated to 200°C (fan bake) for 30 minutes, basting often, and then lower the heat to 175°C and cook for 50-60 minutes more, basting every 15 minutes.

See how crispy the chicken is! I love the crispness of it. However, I think I would marinate the chicken in lemon juice for a few hours or overnight to let the flavours seep into the chicken meat. That would definitely be ideal.

I'm linking this post to the event, Little Thumbs Up organized by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of my little favourite DIY which is hosted by me.

The Little Thumbs Up event begins every first Tuesday of the month until the last day of the month so you are just on time. Do join us! 

To join, simply cook or bake any recipe with the theme of LEMON for February 2014 and link up with us at this post anytime until 28 February 2014.

Do not forget to display your Thumbs Up picture or display the badge above. 

Your post should be:

1. a current post i.e. only for February 2014
2. Please mention 'Little Thumbs Up' in your label and post and link back to Bake for Happy Kids, my little favourite DIY or/and Grace of Life can be Simple. For more details, you may refer to this.