A chicken that's not just for Christmas. Moving away from the traditional lemon and rosemary, this dish is full of flavour.
Healthy orange chicken! Not the sweet, battered, fried Chinese version.
Preheat oven to 175C.
Pour the chicken stock into a small roasting pan, and set aside.
Loosen the skin from the breasts and thighs of the chicken.
Stuff the butter pieces evenly underneath the skin of the chicken, and place into the roasting pan.
Squeeze the orange halves over the chicken, and then stuff into the chicken cavity.
Tie the legs together with string.
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then rub in the minced garlic.
Drizzle the melted butter all over the chicken, then lay the herb sprigs onto the breast and around the legs.
Cover the dish with foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Uncover and baste the chicken with the pan juices.
Continue cooking until the chicken is no longer pink, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 74C. (1 to 2 hours)
Baste the chicken every 10 to 15 minutes after you uncover it.
Once cooked, allow the chicken to rest out of the oven for 10 minutes before slicing.
Use the juices in the pan as the base for a light gravy.
Placing a few slices of orange around and on top of the chicken while cooking, add to the flavour and look great.