PAUPERS CHICKEN

This is chicken baked in a salt crust . I have posted the recipe years ago , but this is the Xmas version . Preheat your oven to 180 deg C . Rinse your chicken under cold water . Dry with absorbent kitchen paper . Sprinkle the inside cavity with salt . Place 1 unpeeled but quarterd onion into the cavity with rosemary sprigs and fresh thyme sprigs . In a bowl mix 15 gm of butter / marg , 1 tbs of minced garlic, a pinch of paprika (to taste) Now starting at the neck , gently ease the skin from the chicken and push the mixture underneath. To make the salt crust put 1kg of plain flour and 1 kg of cooking salt in a large mixing bowl and mix together . Make a well in the centre , pour 1 litre of water of cold water into the mix with 2 tbs of canola oil . Mix to a stiff dough . Knead on a lightly floured surface . Roll out the pastry to a circle with a diameter of 20 " / 51 cm. Place the chicken breast side down in the middle . Lightly brush the edges with water , then fold the pastry to enclose the chicken . Lightly brush the edge with water . Then fold over to enclose and pinch the joints together . Put the chicken joint side down on a baking paper layed roasting pan . Bake in the well prehaeted oven for 2 hours . Remove from the oven and stand for 25 minutes . Place in centre of your table and crack the crust , this is the the theatre of the table and slice the chicken .