Aromatic Chicken With Lemon Balm Or Mint

Ingredients

1 Lemon
50g/2oz caster sugar
1.5kg/3–3½lb corn-fed chicken
Bunch of lemon balm or mint
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt

Method

1. Thinly slice the lemon. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the lemon slices and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh the blanched lemon slices under cold running water. Put the sugar and 150ml/ ¼ pt water into a clean saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the blanched lemon slices and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, to prepare the chicken, work your fingers between the skin and the breast meat to loosen it and then loosen the skin on the legs. Drain the lemon slices. Work the lemon slices and lemon balm or mint up under the loosened skin, over the legs and breast meat.
3. Put the peppercorns and coriander seeds into a pestle and mortar and grind coarsely. Mix with the oil and brush all over the chicken. Place the chicken on the cooking grate and barbecue over indirect Medium heat for 1–1 ¼ hours until the juices run clear and internal temperature is 170º F/ 77 º C. Leave the chicken to rest for 10–15 minutes before carving.

From Weber’s Ultimate Barbecue Book by Matthew Drennman.