The slightly over caramelised parts in the pic is (curly) parsley - maybe I should have covered it for a bit while it roasted... I didn't bother with the duck I did last week... (yes it was gorgeous ;-)) but that was covered with orange slices so it had protection... not that the caramelised parsley wasn't interesting to taste :-)I thought to myself: 'Chicken with a nice caramel crust would be nice. Oh, and maybe some smoked paprika. I have lots of parsley too...'. At this point readers of Terry Pratchett would realise that I got hit by a random Thought particle which inspired me to combine all of these things! Amazing hey?
I made a butter paste with the parsley and paprika. This was inserted into the area between the skin and meat on the breasts (after a while in the fridge to cool down). You make a pocket using your hand, just work it in gently (the skin should be quite tough to break, but don't push it).
I smeared some on the outside of the bird and sprinkled on a ground mix of salt, vanilla flavoured sugar, sage and oregano.
I halved an onion and put it in the cavity before putting it in the onion, skin still on. After the roasting, I put it into the gravy (made from the pan juices, white wine and a little chicken stock).
I was pretty boring from then on, I roasted potatoes in duck fat and served it with the chicken, gravy and sprouts.
