YOU WILL NEED: 

1 whole Free Range chicken

1 onion, cut into 8ths

Fresh herbs – thyme, rosemary – about 10 grams of each

Small knob of butter

1 lemon, quartered

1 lemon for juice

Ina paarmen – chicken spice – enough to sprinkle over the chicken

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

PREPARATION: 

Pre heat oven to 180 ° C

Rinse the chicken under cold water and gently pat it dry

Chop up half the herbs and mix it with the soften butter

Gently lift up the skin over the breast and rub the butter mixture underneath the skin. Be careful not to break the skin

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and chicken spice and a squeeze of lemon juice

Place some fresh herbs inside the chicken along with a few pieces of onion and lemon

Tie the legs together to stop the herbs coming out when you roast it (if you do not have string, do not worry about it)

Drizzle with olive oil

Roast for about 1½ hours until the chicken is tender and the juice runs clear when it is poked with a skewer

If the juice is still pink you need to cook the chicken for a little longer

Once the chicken is cooked let it rest covered in foil for about 10 minutes before you carve it