Easy Baked Half Chicken

Unlike in our old place in Karama, we now live quiet far from supermarket. I have to buy groceries that will see us through the week.I don't want to exceed our budget by buying extra that will only end up in the rubbish shoot. I buy what seems to be just enough and try to be creative with the leftovers. I have to prepare and strictly follow a menu plan.

Over the weekend, I bought one whole griller chicken. It is cheaper than buying a choice cut. I simply cut it in half and placed the other half back in the chiller. My son loves anything with soup so the first part was made into warm, nourishing chicken tinola. After two days, my oven dealt with the second half.

 For a change, I want a chicken with soft skin and juicy meat. Nothing crispy or dry. Just simply classic, shiny, and golden chicken. So I raided the cupboard for my ingredients.

On a roasting dish, combine extra virgin olive oil, crushed garlic, freshly ground pepper, lemon juice, and salt

Roll the chicken to your mixture, rub the garlic on the chicken skin. Cover with foil and place in the fridge for two hours.

An hour before dinner, pop in the oven. Turn to Gas 5 for 15 minutes and then Gas 4 for the rest of the cooking. After another 15 minutes, remove foil and leave to open bake for another 15 minutes. Transfer chicken and all its dripping to another baking dish, brush it with honey and paprika then return to oven. Give it another 15 minutes then serve warm. All that easy in one hour.

Soft and juicy, garlicky with a hint of lemon!