Recipe
Easy roast chicken with lemon myrtle, pepper berry & pepperleaf recipe
This easy roast chicken recipe adds native bushfood ingredients to really up the flavour.
By Elder Bruno Dann and Tahlia Mandie
Roast chicken is a staple in almost everyone’s kitchen, and when native ingredients feature, the flavour will be exceptional. Don’t be shy about trying this recipe with different bushfood ingredients like wattleseed and aniseed myrtle.
If you use wattleseed, your chicken will have a slightly nutty flavour; aniseed myrtle will give it a more licorice flavour.
Using the whole pepperberry plant – berry (powder) and leaves – gives this chicken a fiery kick. Serve the chicken with crispy roast potatoes and sweet potatoes. You can keep any leftovers for the next day’s lunch.
Serves 5
Ingredients to make this roast chicken recipe
¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil infused with lemon myrtle
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon pepperberry powder
¼ teaspoon fresh pepperleaf,finely chopped; if you don’t have fresh pepperleaf, use extra
pepperberry powder
1 whole chicken
½ lemon, sliced
3 large potatoes, cut into quarters
1 sweet potato, cut into large cubes
How to make this roast chicken recipe
Preheat the oven to 220°C. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic, honey, pepperberry and pepperleaf together. Rub half the marinade mixture over the chicken and stuff the chicken with the sliced lemon.
Place the chicken in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge. Place the chicken on a roasting prong (you can purchase these from any store that supplies barbecue equipment) and put it in a roasting pan.
Place the potatoes and sweet potatoes in the base of the pan, under and around the chicken. Pour the remaining marinade over the vegetables and chicken. Cook for 1 hour or until crispy and golden.
Cover with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Citro food tip
This is a great dish to cook on the barbecue as well. Depending on your barbecue, the cooking time and method should be similar to a conventional oven.
This is an edited extract from The Australian Ingredients Kitchen by Elder Bruno Dann and Tahlia Mandie, photography by Alicia Taylor. Murdoch Books RRP $39.99.
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