Coriander and Breton Butter Roast Chicken

As a child there were very few things I didn't eat. One of those things was butter. Conversely my sister had a loving association with butter - I'm sure the times we teased her about how she could eat a whole block of butter had some element of truth in it. For me butter wasn't a condiment, it was merely an ingredient. The biggest sin of all in my eyes was spreading butter on bread when making a sandwich. I mean, I know butter was used to keep the moisture of the filling from making the bread soggy but it didn't do much for me. But after years and years of avoiding butter on most things (I still included it in recipes or used it in my scrambled eggs) I've learnt to appreciate butter in all it's glory.

This recipe is both a celebration of my new found appreciation for all things beurre and a homage to my grandfather who used to love eating this roast chicken.

















Ingredients
1 free-range corn-fed chicken
40 grams of Breton butter
1 bunch of coriander (and a little more for decoration)
a glug of olive oil
2-3 medium cloves of garlic
salt and pepper

















Method
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C. Mix the butter, olive oil, chopped coriander, crushed garlic and salt and pepper in a bowl. Gently separate the skin away from the chicken around the breast and massage 1/3 of the butter into it. Massage the remaining 2/3 of butter around the chicken. Baste two or three times during the cooking process. I think it's better to not give an indication of how long the chicken will take to cook because it depends on your oven and the size of your chicken. Just make sure the juices run clear in the thickest part (or use a thermometer) and the skin has browned enough to your liking. The chicken should be moist and buttery with a herby twist.