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Herb stuffed salt-crust chicken
Ingredients
Brine:
- 2-1/2 cups (625 milliliters) balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup (60 milliliters) brown sugar
- 2 cups (480 milliliters) water
- 2 cups (480 milliliters) orange juice
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 litre cold water
- 1.6 kilograms whole chicken
Salt crust:
- 8 cups (1.9 litres) coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) fennel seeds, crushed
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) allspice, crushed
- 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) cloves, crushed
- 12 egg whites, whipped
- 1 cup cold water
Roasting the chicken:
- 1 bunch rosemary
- 1 bunch thyme
- 1 bunch sage
Special equipment:
- Butchers twine, for trussing
- Rolling pin
Directions
Brine:
- In a medium saucepan over high heat combine balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, water, orange juice and bay leaves and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- After boiling, remove from heat, add the cold water and mix to combine and fully chill.
- In deep dish, combine the chicken with the brine, breast-side down, and ensure it is completely submerged. Refrigerate for four hours to overnight.
Salt crust:
- In a large bowl, combine salt, rosemary, fennel, allspice, cloves, whipped egg whites, and water, and mix in the bowl until completely mixed.
Trussing:
- Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry; discard the brine.
- Stuff the chicken with rosemary, thyme, and sage.
- Cut a piece of kitchen twine about 38 centimeters long.
- Place the chicken on its back, with the tail end towards you.
- Tuck the wings under the bird.
- Center the twine under the chickens back directly below the wings.
- Lift each end of the twine crossing it around the tucked wings to secure them to the sides and crossing near the base of the breast.
- Continue to wrap the strings over and around the legs to secure them to the sides as well.
- Bring the ends of the twine up from under the bird and loop them over and around the ends of the legs, securing them to each other.
- Tie the string to bind the legs together.
Roasting the chicken:
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
- On a tray topped with parchment paper using a rolling pin roll out salt crust mixture.
- Roll out the dough to six millimeter thickness.
- In a roasting pan place chicken on a layer of salt crust mixture.
- Completely cover the chicken with the remaining salt crust mixture and tightly pack it around the chicken with your hands.
- Roast for one hour and 15 minutes or until the crust is hard and dry. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes before cracking the salt off and discarding to serve.
