Hylton and Anya Leighs Wedding Lemon Myrtle Chicken

About?

This tasty succulent chicken was served on the BBQ at my brother Hylton’s wedding to Anya in July 2013 in Mermaid Beach, Surfers Paradise, Australia..

Involves some prep beforehand to brine the chicken for at least overnight but longer will be even better!

Was amazing!! Only wedding I have been to where the bride and groom did all the catering and boy was it a feast!!

Recipe:

Serves 4–6

Ingredients

• brine (60g salt dissolved in 1 litres of lemon myrtle water. Make the water by adding 4 lemon myrtle teabags to 1 litre of boiling water)

• let the brine steep and cool and then add another 1 litre of water and another 60g of salt

• 1.5-2kg chicken

• 1 lemon

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 bunch of lemon thyme

• 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for rubbing into the skin

• 30ml dry white wine

Method

1. Remove the trussing from the chicken then place it in a zip lock bag and pour the brine over the chicken ensuring that the chicken is submerged then wrap the zip lock with clingfilm and place in the fridge overnight.

2. Remove the chicken from the liquid and dry well with kitchen paper. Butter the chicken skin with lemon thyme butter under the skin on the breast and a bit on the outside and put – lemon/garlic/lemon thyme / lemon myrtle in cavity – slow roast at 90 degs for approx. 3-4 hours

3. Roll and pierce the lemon then place it in the cavity of the bird with half the lemon thyme.

5. Place the chicken on the rack in a roasting tray and place in the oven. Roast the chicken until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast is 60ºC (this should take 3 hours).

6. Remove the chicken from the oven and finish it off on the BBQ

7. In the meantime, melt the butter in a pan and add 30ml wine and a few sprigs of lemon thyme. Bring to the boil then remove the pan from the heat and use the melted butter to baste the chicken before and during browning on the BBQ.

8. Once coloured, remove the chicken from the BBQ and place on a cooling rack.

9. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper

It’s a long process – but worth it in the end . . . .

FOR MORE INFO ON LEMON MYRTLE SEE THE WIKIPEDIA LINK AT http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backhousia_citriodora